UPDATE: Steven Barker, Jason Owen and Tracey Connolly Are Sentenced
We are very fortunate indeed to have had one of regular commenter posting during the sentencing of Steven Barker, Jason Owen and Tracey Connolly, who were convicted of murdering Baby P. last year in the UK.
Stevie B posted the following comments in real time while watching the live stream from the Old Bailey courthouse in London, England:
*Stevie B says:
May 22, 2009 at 10:54 amLife for Barker
*Stevie B says:
May 22, 2009 at 10:56 amJudge wants to protect public and more over children from these three for a “considerable amount of time”
*Stevie B says:
May 22, 2009 at 11:00 amBarker got Life for rape and 12 years for allowing or causing the death of baby Peter.
This means that Owen will not get more than 12 and she probably 8.
Will keep posting as it comes in*Stevie B says:
May 22, 2009 at 11:01 amJudge Kramer is really ripping into her supposed ignorance
*Stevie B says:
May 22, 2009 at 11:07 amMother gets indeterminate sentence with minimum of 5 years and only then will be assessed for release if she is still seen to be a danger she stays.
This is about as strong a sentence as Kramer can give apparently.
I hope the indeterminate part is the part that is the most significant portion.*Stevie B says:
May 22, 2009 at 11:08 amOwen being sentenced now. My gut feel is 10yrs again indeterminate.
*Stevie B says:
May 22, 2009 at 11:11 amOwen gets indeterminate with min of just 3 years, again I hope the indeterminate portion is the most important part.
all times are local
So to summarize, Steven Barker received Life plus 12 years, Tracey Connolly received an indeterminate sentence with a minimum of 5 years, and Jason Owen received an indeterminate sentence with a minimum of 3 years.
What the indeterminate sentence means is after the minimum is served, the inmate is evaluated to see if he/she is still a danger to society or eligible to be released on some sort of probation.
Huge thanks to Stevie B for getting this story to us as it happened. It’s readers like you that make this site as good as it is, and I truly appreciate it.
77 Comments »
Similar Posts:
- UPDATE: Steven Barker, Tracey Connolly and Jason Owen
- UPDATE: Steven Barker, Jason Owen and Tracey Connolly
- UPDATE 2: Steven Barker, Jason Owen and Tracey Connolly
- Steven Barker, Jason Owen and Tracey Connolly
- Stacey Marie Barker
- UPDATE: Kevin Wayne Anders Guilty Of Possesion Of Child Porn
- James Allen Wamsley
- Kristina Fuelling
I still think these evil scum should of got longer sentences..its all wrong, baby Peter is still being failed and not getting the justice that he deserves!!!
I agree 100%. Those evil beings have no right to walk free EVER! I have not stopped crying for Baby Ryan. OMG, what that poor little baby went through. I can only hope that they are beaten, raped and tortured slowly, for the rest of their miserable lives. I would love 5 mins alone with them, with a pair of pliers, to rip off their nails, eyelids and perhaps the balls of those worthless scumbags. Tracy would be begging for mercy when I ripped off her private’s with no remorse whatsoever. I know I sound like a nut, but I dont care anymore. I am sick and tired of children being abused. I hope they never get out…..
Wish that was true but in reality Steven Barker’s 12 year sentence is actually a 6 year sentence (you only serve half). His ‘life’ sentence has a minimum term of 10 years, so he will likely serve 10 years, as long as the parole board decide he is no danger and they are incredibly lenient.
The mother’s sentence means she is likely to be out in less than 3 years.
The lodger’s minimum term is 3 years. He has already served 7 months on remand minimum so he will probably be out in 2 years 5 months.
Pathetic really.
Absolute and populist nonsense.
Not a chance in hell that any of these people will be out at the end of their minimum term.
Indeterminate sentencing was the right way to go in this case when other options weren’t legally available. A fixed term sentence of, for example, 8 years would have meant the mother would be eligible for parole next March. That clearly would be very wrong.
Indeterminate sentence release is wholly dependent upon a different system. A person has to complete their minimum term and then be assessed for their risk to the community; risk of reoffending; their rehabilative progress whilst in custody etc.
Tracey will be serving a long time. A lot longer than people think by what appears to be a ’soft’ sentence. The Judge made a smart move.
I have to disagree with realist. There is a very real possibility that Tracy Conelly will be out by the end of her minimum term. It would nice if public opinion counted for something in determining how long she spends in jail, but Venables and Thompson, and Maxine Carr (among many, many others) – show how soft our (the British) system has gone one crime. I think you are being a little optimistic if you don’t think they will be out sooner rather than later. She’s already served 289 or so days, so by my reckoning, she could be up for release as early as 2012. But I agree an indeterminate sentence was the way forward. Let’s hope that parole eligibility is a long way away for them however, the parole panel cannot use the type of sentence levied as a basis for keeping a person in prison. If Tracy Connolly behaves herself, shows genuine remorse and takes steps (such as campaigning for awareness of child abuse) to show she has truly reformed and is no longer a danger to society, the parole panel can’t say “yeah, but we think you should stay in a bit longer because you were given an indeterminate sentence” – they will almost have to parole her. Sickening in a country where a guy recently 3 years for embezzling £200,000. There are a bunch of petitions on 10 Downing Street’s website about the sentences – get in there if you are British resident and sign them.
Ooops sorry. Being a little over optimistic there. Apparently Steven Barker will be out in eight years and Jason Owen in 12 months.
I think before any of them are released from prison they should be sterilized. In fact Barker should just be castrated.
I agree, I think as long as they are fertile they are a danger to society. Hopefully the Parole Board find the same.
and i thought our legal system was lenient…. with all due respect to Brits….WTF is wrong with the UK???!
unfortunately, we are also a part of Europe and have a Labour government. That’s about the crux of it – commit a financial crime – you go away for a long time. Violence/rape/murder – heck the younger you are the less time you serve. And you can always appeal to haev your sentence cut – as happened last week where 2 guys who kicked the living shit out of some poor guys head (he ended up needing metal plates) got their sentences reduced by 2 years – from 5 1/2 to 3 1/2! I agree with you momwhocares, there is something very wrong with the UK justice system.
Financial crime, you’re kidding me aren’t you. With all these politicians claiming well over the top they should all be in prison.
Does anyone know what the justification for changing their identities is? Vigilante justice? I’m glad I live in the U.S. where notorious criminals aren’t protected after release – freeing up the populace to run them out of town on a rail, or worse.
Why does it still say ‘not named for legal reasons’, why aren’t they naming them when they name all the other scumbags that kill their children?
Apparently they are releasing the mothers and step fathers (if thats what u can call them) identies sometime in August, not sure why though cos they are bound to be given brand new identities like all child killers in this country do!!
People need to see their faces in newspapers/internet and know who they are and what their names are as I doubt a little holiday camp time will have any effect. It’s outragous if they get new identities. Toughen up UK!
The only websites i have seen their names and photos on are this website and there are some groups on facebook too that have decided to display their pics and names.
I’m just wondering if the reason why they havent released the mothers name is to protect baby Peters sister who was raped and the other sibling and of course their father..I could be wrong though!
I’m just wondering if the reason why they havent released the mothers name is to protect baby Peters sister who was raped and the other sibling and of course their father..I could be wrong though!
wish it was that natalee-ann – I’d hedge my bets on protecting them and their families from public retribution. I’m struggling to believe that only these 3 maggots had any knowledge of the abuse someone in their family must have seen some of what was going on or at least suspected….plus, in trials like this, they won’t get a fair trial if their identities are known and the press start digging up shit. there are normally quite a few reasons, but in my experience as a lawyer, they often protect the accused instead of the victim.
I do believe Muddy that other family members knew something because Peters grandmother was arrested along with the mother, and plus i did read a while ago that the natural father refused to return Peter back to his mother because he noticed bruising on his body, but when Peters mother phoned the police they advised the father to return Peter back to his mother!!
Of course they will all get protection and new identities…Child killers always do! If it was a animal that had been tortured then it would of been a different story, and the sentences would of been longer!!!
Sounds like the judge wipped them with a we noodle as hard as he could!
I am NOT criticizing the judge, I am refering to the law / legal sentencing policies as being the wet noodle. Even the strongest person in the world could not pound a nail into a board if given a wet noodle as a hammer!
Oh God!
There were other children in the home and the baby girl was raped?
12 years?
I think my head is going to spin around and I am going to spit pea soup!
WTF is wrong with the world?????
I want to know on what basis it was determined that Tracey was not found guilty of anything to do with her own infant’s rape, while she was unemployed and at home all the time while this was happening. Anyone have details on that? I couldn’t sleep at night thinking of this case.
I had to go and read about poor baby Peter as this was the first time I had heard about this. WTF is wrong with this world???? His baby sister was raped???? OMG! I only wish that a “Dexter” lived in that area and could take care of these fucking worthless pieces of shit when they get out of prison!! I cannot believe that these motherfuckers did not get a DEATH penalty!!
This absolutely made me sooo damn sick and fucking pissed off too – why do these dumb ass bitches even have children in the first place???
Poor baby Peter – may your precious little soul rest in peace.
Another comment:
If it had been one of the dogs that had ultimately taken Baby P’s precious life, nobody would hesitate to put them to sleep…. why are we so concerned about these ‘human’ lives that showed less mercy than the animals?
That is a really good point to make, and I totally agree with you.
So if I understand this correctly, the crime of:
cutting of the edge of a baby’s fingers; tearing out several fingernails and toenails with pliers; using him as a “human punching bag”; holding him over one’s head and dropping him to the floor; hitting his genitals with a shoe; holding him up by his earlobes until one of them detaches from his head; training a pet dog to bite his skull (by demonstrating); crushing him over one’s knee and snapping his spine; preventing other family members from feeding him so that he is forced to eat dirt in the back yard; and committing dozens of other tortures before finally killing him with an explosive punch to the face…
And raping a two-year old girl on several occasions….
Warrants “at least” 8 years in a comfy prison cell with three square meals a day, internet access, books, DVD’s and other forms of entertainment…and a new identity upon release so that he can “start fresh”?
Not a bad deal!
Clearly the laws need changing, though the Judge also shares responsibility for refusing to allow the charge of murder. It was clear as day from the 15 year old’s testimony that Steven Barker delivered the death blow. One minute he’s wailing in his crib, the next minute all falls silent, and the next morning he is dead.
Apparently Barker’s Rottweiler was also scared to death of the brute, shaking whenever he approached him.
I think it’s safe to say that Barker has a severe case of “sadistic personality disorder”, or whatever it’s called these days. If and when he is released he will undoubtedly re-offend.
I agree that neither Barker nor Connelly will be released for many years after the minimum sentence is up, but sooner or later (after everyone’s forgotten about the case) they will be unleashed on an unsuspecting public.
That Britain has abolished the death penalty along with most other civilized nations should be celebrated. There are literally tens of thousands of documented examples of police and intelligence professionals lying under oath and innocent people being sent to jail.
It is tempting to say “well, we’ll just allow it for a few cases”, but it never works out that way. The laws should be changed to allow much harsher punishment for child abuse — or in this case — child torture leading to murder — but the death penalty should stay dead.
I actually think the mother deserves a harsher punishment than Barker. According to the Guardian, Barker has an IQ of 60, meaning that’s he’s borderline mentally retarded. Obviously that doesn’t excuse his actions but it helps to explain them. Connelly on the other hand is intelligent and deceitful.
Baby Peter and similar cases in Britain are the logical result of 30 years of right wing politics. “Free market” slash and burn of social programs and relentless attacks against unions have led to an underclass of miserable people with no hope. They take out their rage on the weaker around them rather than the politicians who created this mess. The “labor” government merely compounded the folly by accelerating “free market” reforms and creating new levels of bureaucracy.
Camilla Cavendish in the Times noted that in 2006-2007, Haringey council had become “concerned about a £4.6 million overspend: £2.3 million of that was in children’s services,” and that it had “reduced its informal target for the number of children in care from 365 in March 2007 to 352 in March 2008. It also managed to reduce the per-head cost of children in its care.”
Clearly the social workers were more concerned with the bottom line than real human care. And why shouldn’t they be? The fish rots from the head.
The vast majority of people living in poverty do not behave like the despicable trio in question, but so long as bailouts and tax cuts for the rich are given priority over the needs of the citizenry you will end up your fair share of pathetic losers who engage in atrocities of this sort. Better to pop out some babies and collect welfare than work for minimum wage in a dead end job.
I also read somewhere that the mother actually walked in when the step father was raping the little girl and aparently she shook her head, pointed her finger at the boyfriend and said ‘don’t do that again!’ I would of flaming jumped on him and kicked him out the house. She also sat on her fat backside looking at internet porn when her denfenceless, baby son was screaming for her help.
All three of them should be subjected to the horrendous abuse that baby Peter went through!!!
2 Things:
1) Why do people feel bad at the idea of putting to death scum who should not be alive? Seriously… do baby rapers, murderers and the like REALLY contribute healthfully to our society as a whole somehow? Will this bitch who birthed Baby P ever do anything short of being a low life, cumbucket dirtbag embarrassment to any children she happens to have that actually LIVE through her “parenting”?
2) WTF AND HTF does ANYONE in this world get turned on by BABIES????? HTF is a baby crotch/face/butt even remotely sexual?????? I REALLY WANT TO KNOW FFS GO BUY A TOY, YOU KNOW WHAT KIND. Lotion and tissues are cheap and they don’t come with the lengthy jail sentences (apparently NOT in britain however) that most rape/molestation charges bring.
New way for the cumbucket to off herself, btw… death by masturbation with large, inanimate object of undetermined size and shape =) She looks like a whore enough to do it.
I don’t think anyone really cares whether Barker and company are put to death. At least, I don’t.
The problem is precedent.
The death penalty in Britain was abolished for a reason. I strongly recommend you watch the film “10 Rillington Place”. It tells the true story of an innocent man hanged due to the persuasive testimony of one John Christie. Turns out the actual murderer (in fact, serial killer) was Christie himself.
There are dozens of known cases in the United States of innocent men framed for the crimes of rape, pedophilia and murder. Some were executed, some exonerated.
Life in prison is the only acceptable punishment in a civilized society. This way, the falsely accused can be released if it comes to pass that they were framed.
Don’t think people can be “framed”? Check out the story of Geronimo Pratt.
The lust for revenge must be secondary to the rights of the potentially innocent.
At the same time, the rights of the public must be respected. This means that people like Steven Barker and Tracey Connelly should be given life sentences. And I don’t mean 8 years. I mean life.
The sentences of the convicted in the Baby Peter case are nothing short of appalling.
While I agree in principle that these degenerates should be subjected to the same torture as Baby Peter, the precedent is unacceptable.
It is better that
I understand where you are coming from, and I do agree with you – to a POINT. Here’s an effective solution to the problem:
Ban the death penalty in cases where there is only circumstantial evidence. But, when you have a situation like many of the PYSIH cases, where there is ZERO doubt that the killer did the crime, then allow the possibility.
Honestly though, I would prefer that there not be capital punishment, except in certain horrifying situations (like Ted Bundy, or Joseph Duncan). But there is a caveat – I would only prefer that IF there was a true system for keeping these miserable beasts locked up forever. Or, until the killer is at least the same age as the life expectancy of the victim following a mandatory minimum sentence.
HI Mazzi,
I certainly don’t disagree that some people DESERVE the death penalty, I just have a real problem with allowing the powers of life and death to institutions with a miserable record of upholding justice. We like to pretend that lawyers and police are infallible, but they are human just like the rest of us and subject to bias and even criminal behavior. The FBI’s COINTELPRO program is a case in point. MI5 under Gladio participated in similar abuses of power.
I’m sure you’ve seen “In the name of the father” starring Daniel Day Lewis. At the time, were I British, I probably would have been chomping at the bit for the execution of the accused. Turns out he was completely innocent.
Now you suggest that we only allow the death penalty for cases where it is “beyond doubt” that the individuals in question committed the crime. Yet I know of no such case.
So long as there is the risk of an innocent man or woman being put to death for crimes he or she did not commit I think the death penalty should remain dead.
This doesn’t mean we have to coddle sadistic criminals. Like I said, life should mean life, and there should be far more severe penalties for child abuse and especially child torture. It is truly remarkable to me that people frown upon abusing animals, yet tolerate beating children for “disobedience”.
We wouldn’t dream of hitting an elderly person because they had become senile and disobeyed orders, yet it is acceptable to hit children while they are learning the rules of society. Because we are bigger than they are and they can’t fight back.
There is a remarkable case of a Jesuit Priest studying the Algonquin tribe during the Colonial era. He iwas astonished to learn that they never hit their children, and in fact regarded most disobedience as sign of growing independence. No laws, no courts, no police, no judges, yet they had clearly delineated ideas about right and wrong, and far more “order” than a “civilized” country could dream of. There was not a pauper in the nation.
Hundreds of years later, we now found out via psychologists that corporal punishment doesn’t work; in fact it exacerbates the problem. We also find out that punishment in itself is less effective than reasoning with a child.
One day, we will look back upon present-day child-rearing practices with horror.
Somewhere, someone decided that it was ok to beat children: the most vulnerable members of our society. This leads to Baby Peter and similar cases.
It may be uncouth to say this, but according to the Guardian Steven Barker was himself beaten as a child. Is anyone surprised? I’m all for giving Barker every punishment the law allows, but if we are to truly put a stop to these atrocities we have to look at root causes.
I understand where you are coming from, and I do agree with you – to a POINT. Here’s an effective solution to the problem:
Ban the death penalty in cases where there is only circumstantial evidence. But, when you have a situation like many of the PYSIH cases, where there is ZERO doubt that the killer did the crime, then allow the possibility.
Honestly though, I would prefer that there not be capital punishment, except in certain horrifying situations (like Ted Bundy, or Joseph Duncan). But there is a caveat – I would only prefer that IF there was a true system for keeping these miserable beasts locked up forever. Or, until the killer is at least the same age as the life expectancy of the victim following a mandatory minimum sentence.
Sorry, last three paragraphs are a copy and paste ie what I was responding to.
A couple more points:
I realize that in some cases (such as the case of Steven Barker and Tracey Connelly), it seems absurd to suggest they might be innocent. I agree. But once you allow the death penalty for “heinous crimes”, it will inevitably be used for cases in which the evidence is not air tight.
We are far better off not venturing down that slippery slope.
Regarding Ted Bundy etc.: I already mentioned the case of the serial killer John Christie, and the innocent man who was executed for his crimes. There is posthumous doubt that Albert DeSalvo was the real Boston Strangler. Nevertheless, even the case of “rock solid evidence” I think we are far better off studying serial killers than killing them in turn. If we truly wish to stop the phenomenon, we have to understand their motivations.
Ultimately I don’t see the problem going away without radical changes in society itself.
Hello
I am an Applied Forensic Science major. Certainly I know that people have been put into prison etc, usually based on BS like lying police and mistaken witnesses. THIS is why I feel that my future field is VERY IMPORTANT. Which is to say, that I will be the person in the lab making sure an innocent person does not get sent up shit creek without a paddle for the wrong offense.
Civilized? These “people” who commit atrocious crimes are a DRAIN on civilized society. This is logic. They can NOT be rehabilitated in a fashion that people can find as an acceptable risk to reintegrate them with normal society, i.e. people who don’t rape babies, kill old women or torture children to death.
I’m thankful for DNA evidence, which has solved many a cold case and put many a murderer behind bars, and for PROPER COLLECTION TECHNIQUES, without which innocent people might be put in prison/and or to death and the guilty walk free to commit crime again and again.
But as to precedent, and the Brit legal system, they are currently in hardcore FAIL status, and I hope that the British people wake up enough to change this. I guess if I ever really want to kill someone, I’ll head to England to do it, and laugh through my 8 years of free food and board. Because laugh seems to be what Baby P’s incubator and pals are doing. It’s almost enough to start buying into the propaganda of the End Timers…. almost.
“Civilized? These “people” who commit atrocious crimes are a DRAIN on civilized society. This is logic. They can NOT be rehabilitated in a fashion that people can find as an acceptable risk to reintegrate them with normal society, i.e. people who don’t rape babies, kill old women or torture children to death.”
Completely agree. I don’t think Barker can be “rehabilitated” — at least not using any means currently available. He is a SEVERE sadist. Honestly, the only reason I’m commenting on this thread is because I can’t recall any case quite so demented and horrifying as that of Steven Barker. To think of 6 ft 4, body-building, snake collecting, Nazi knife enthusiast peeling off a toddler’s fingernails than squeezing his hands with a big grin on his face is enough to make you lose faith in humanity. Or at least it would be if 99% of the population didn’t feel as disgusted as I do.
I’m interested in criminology myself and have studied a number of similar cases, but this is so far beyond the pale that I hardly know what to say. There are a few comparable cases but none that so dramatically reveal the failure of bureaucracy (and our society as a whole) at the same time.
People often mistake discussion of “root causes” with justification. This is false. The fact that I endeavor to understand why the United States attacked Iraq, or Grenada, or why a suicide bomber blows himself up in a crowd of civilians, doesn’t mean I endorse these actions. It just means I want to prevent them from happening again.
And I don’t think mere punishment will suffice. So long as we live in a culture of ultra-violence, with huge disparities between rich and poor, I think these atrocities will continue.
Bakunin, feel free to say what you want. We are not robots here, and we all have variations in our personal opinions. We don’t all agree on capital punishment, punishment methods, abortion, religion, or even politics. What the majority of us DO agree on is that the people who commit outrages of abuse, neglect and deliberate violence need to be removed from society.
Welcome to PYSIH.
There is little in this world that really shocks and sickens me to the core but the cruelty metered out to that little boy has left me somewhat disturbed and even though i can see that the judge has passed the most effective sentences he could the facts are that a boy born in 2006 could of easily had a lifespan of eighty or more years, peter could of even at a push seen the year 2100… Yet for taking his life away these sadists are punished with sentences that could see all of them released before their forties… Esp the female who no doubt will go on to produce more children that will hopefully not be left in her ‘care ‘ but either way will be fed and clothed at the taxpayers expense… And until we introduce a system that does not reward scum for bringing numerous children into the world without the means to support them we are giving a green light to this underclass that sees another child as a means to an end… This poor little boy did not ask to be brought into the world, we must never forget him…
Ps… I was left a widow at thirty years old with four children ten years old and under which has been hard work, but no way would i let any man into my home who appeared to have an interest in pain and torture! What is it with these tramps that feel it ok to put the needs of their own genitalia ahead of the needs of the little people they created? None of us are responsible for being in this world but we are responsible for those we bring into it, yet time and time again kids are neglected and abused and it seems that more often than not it is following the introduction of a new significant male into the home… Any mother that by act or omission puts her child in danger should be punished severely, thankfully in this case the judge saw thro this bitch and her attempt to soften him up with the letter she wrote… These 3 we will def see in hell… I just hope they get a few treats in jail first, inmates are pretty imaginative when confronted with baby torturers and rapists, i hope they suffer as peter did…
Loula…. absolutely right. This trend of women letting pedophiles/abusers/sadists into their homes and around their children seems to be getting more and more popular. There is no way in hell I would let any man like that around my kids much less into my home. For this, the mother should be held equally accountable.
Guys, I’m really sick about this case. I am just very affected by it and not sure how to really move on, it’s haunting.
Baby Peter sentences to be reviewed
The prison sentences handed to Baby Peter’s mother, her boyfriend and their lodger for causing or allowing the child’s death are to be reviewed by the Attorney General on the grounds that they may have been “unduly lenient”.
By David Barrett, Home Affairs Correspondent
Last Updated: 10:09AM BST 24 May 2009
Boyfriend of Baby P’s mother to appeal rape conviction
Baby Peter’s 27-year-old mother could be eligible for parole in three years Photo: PA
Baroness Scotland’s office confirmed that a request had been received and would be considered by the Government’s senior legal adviser, after the punishments imposed at the Old Bailey on Friday led to an outcry.
Baby Peter’s 27-year-old mother could be eligible for parole in three years, her boyfriend in 2017 and Jason Owen, 37, the lodger, could be free by 2011.
The little boy was 17 months old when he was found dead in a blood-spattered cot in the house shared by the three adults, in Haringey, north London, in 2007.
He had suffered more than 50 injuries including a broken back and fractured ribs, the tip of a finger was missing and a front tooth which had been knocked out was found in his colon. He had swallowed it.
David Davis, the former shadow home secretary, said he had asked the Attorney General to review the case.
Children’s charity Kidscape also submitted a request for a review of the sentences, while a spokesman for the National Society for the Prevention of Children indicated that it was considering similar action.
Mr Davis said: “It is frankly astonishing that the court would pass a sentence which could amount to little more than eight years after such hideous and barbarous crimes have been committed.
“It is entirely possible that the judge was constrained by sentencing rules, but the public would expect the punishment to be far more severe in a civilised society.
“I have contacted the Attorney General’s office by telephone and will formally write to her this week requesting that she review the sentences on the grounds they were unduly lenient.”
The Attorney General can review a sentence if she receives a request from any member of the public, and can also launch a review independently.
The boyfriend of Baby Peter’s mother was given a 12-year term and a life sentence with a minimum 10-year tariff to run concurrently for a separate conviction of raping a two-year-old girl.
Because of time already served on remand the man, who cannot be named, could be free in eight years.
Owen was handed a minimum term of three years for his role in the child’s death.
The mother, who also cannot be named, was handed an indefinite sentence with a minimum term of five years. She could win parole in August 2012 if experts rule she is no longer a danger to children.
Michele Elliott, chief executive of the Kidscape charity, said: “I have asked for a review because of the gravity of these crimes, which were premeditated, constant and deliberate. These people are evil.
“As far as I am concerned, natural justice has not been served. It is appalling that these people will be reviewed for parole at such an early date.”
Phillip Noyes, director of policy at the NSPCC, said: “We are concerned that the minimum sentence appears to be lenient.
“We are considering the judgement carefully and, unless there is a compelling reason not to, we will be urging the Crown Prosecution Service or the Attorney General to refer this case to the Court of Appeal.”
A Crown Prosecution Service spokeswoman said: “As with all such cases, we will look in the next few days at whether referral to the Attorney General is appropriate under the unduly lenient sentence procedure.
“It is for the Attorney General to decide to refer a case to the Court of Appeal.”
Owen and the boyfriend were convicted of causing or allowing Peter’s death at the Old Bailey in November last year, while the mother admitted the charge.
A second trial saw the boyfriend convicted of raping the two-year-old girl who, like Peter, was on Haringey council’s child protection list.
Baroness Scotland is now expected to request paperwork from the CPS to begin her review.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/baby-p/5374156/Baby-Peter-sentences-to-be-reviewed.html
Thank you for the update. I am encouraged to hear that. I know the UK is lenient, and my understanding is that the CITIZENS are getting pretty damned disgusted with it. Hopefully this beautiful baby’s death can have an impact on getting the sentencing laws reviewed and changed. It is disturbing and disgusting that these sick freaks get what amounts to a slap on the wrist for the death, pain and destruction that they deliberately caused.
I hope that the Baby P case leads to a revamping in child protective services in the UK and elsewhere.
There are certain facets of the case that are truly haunting:
Peter screaming “Daddy, Daddy!” as he was taken from his biological father for the last time — back to the torture pit — and the father’s confessed guilt over his failure to realize that it was truly a “cry for help”.
Peter smiling at the social worker with chocolate smeared over his face to cover his scars and bruises — after his spine had been snapped.
Connelly’s comment online that Peter was a “bit clingy” — yeah, I’d be pretty clingy too if I was being tortured on a daily basis, before I even learned how to speak.
The 15 year old’s comment that Peter would start crying when Barker went upstairs, entered his room and shut the door — not crying as in “I’m hungry”, but crying as in “please leave me alone”.
The 15 year old’s comment that Peter rarely looked up when playing with his toys, as if he was trying not to draw attention to himself — likely he was beginning to dissociate (ie multiple personality disorder).
The fact that the mother — Tracey Connelly — purportedly laughed when Barker snapped Peter’s spine.
The fact that Jason Owen — while out on bail — remarked that “we tortured someone — it got a little out of control”. Yeah, you might say that. They also filmed the torture on a cell phone.
The physician’s comment that the baby was “cranky” — well, sure, I’d be cranky too if I had a broken back.
The day before his death, when Peter stopped crying out in pain when Barker tortured him:
That is the anecdote that is most horrifying. According to the 15 year old, Barker motioned her over to him while he was inflicting his usual punishments. He squeezed Peter’s fingers and punched him in the head, but the baby no longer cried out. He had grown so accustomed to it that he no longer put up any fuss. He didn’t have the energy. It’s like one of those wildlife films where you see an animal chased by a predator; eventually it realizes there is no hope, and it stops struggling.
As you can see, the story of Baby Peter touched me deeply. I hope it will encourage people to rethink beating their children. I also hope it will encourage people to rethink society.
The natural response to these events is to say something like: Barker and company should be tortured every second for the rest of their lives. Or: they should be immediately killed.
Perhaps this is a healthy response. There’s a reason we have these feelings. Our survival depends upon it. 99% of us are hard-coded to
feel a protective urge toward children.
But something about modern society makes some people crazy. I use the word “crazy” here not as an excuse, ie that Barker was psychotic — which he isn’t — but crazy in terms of losing touch with basic moral values.
I honestly could care less if the trio were lynched. In fact it would bring a smile to my face. But I don’t think the answer lies in torture or murder. I think the best way of reducing violence is to stop engaging in violent behavior.
Ultimately, what produces these freaks is not some sort of blanket “human nature”. Human nature has an almost infinite number of variables. When Columbus encountered the Aramarks he referred to them as “Indians”, which means “people of God”. They were kind, gentle, and gave freely. They had no sense of property and little sense of hierarchy. They were happy. And they were made slaves.
“I think the best way of reducing violence is to stop engaging in violent behavior. ” While this is a noble thought it is completely unrealistic. Here’s why:
I do not engage in violence. I would hasten an informed guess that you do not either. Neither do most of the posters on PYSIH, or really, most people at all. And yet, that lack of violence failed to stop this trio from destroying a baby’s life.
Perhaps you meant that violence as entertainment should not be so prevalent. I agree totally, but consider these: Lizzy Borden (or whoever killed her parents), John Wilkes Booth, Jack the Ripper, the Marquise de Sade, the ancient Romans. Just a few famous names from history. None of them had violent TV, movies, video games or internet. And yet, they all had a bloodlust. While I agree that reducing violent media would HELP, it cannot possibly end the violence that appears to be hard-wired into some people’s brains.
We can not afford to have our punishment be to basically stop engaging in something that most of us do not engage in at all. We cannot trust that banning Grand Theft Auto will cure the problem.
What we need to do to reduce violence is to stop the violent INDIVIDUALS. Remove them from society completely. And I don’t just mean killers, torturers and rapists – I mean people who assault and batter others, people who use weapons to rob people, etc. We all know that a large percentage of crime is committed by a small percentage of people, so when we find a violent person we need to get them away and keep them away from potential targets. We need top punish them swiftly and harshly – and at the same time, try to teach then alternatives to violence. We need to make them EARN the right to go back into society.
Things have gotten so incredible out of hand that the criminals rule the system. They have their ‘rights” and God forbid that those of us who’s rights THEY trample all over dare to try and stop them. We need to adopt the attitude that, while we all begin with certain rights, our behaviors can strip us of those rights – temporarily or permanently depending on the circumstances.
We kill people all the time (and have through history) simply for being born on our enemy’s side. Those people have done nothing except exist in a warring nation. Why can’t we kill people who deserve it? We may kill a few innocent people (hopefully not), but innocent people die every day. It’s sad, but true. Ask Baby Peter.
Realize, that what all of this comes down to is that human beings are animals, which have evolved a social structure in the best efforts of STAYING ALIVE. A social structure needs some sort of base rules, and “civilization” to stay cohesive(ish). If everyone ran around killing anyone else whenever the hell they wanted, stealing, raping, all around causing mayhem we wouldn’t have much of a “peaceful” society.
So we like to see ourselves as above animals, and we shun those among us who commit “atrocious” acts, correct? They go to jail, we don’t want to hang out with them or live near them in general. Really, the reason we don’t like those things are because for one, as with violence against children, to some degree we are hard wired to not wish such (agreed on that), or whatever they are doing is against the norms of our society. For example, it is generally frowned upon for grown men to have sex with young teen or preteen girls. But unless I”m completely mistaken, that depends on the rules of the particular society, and even then, in the past it was acceptable for very young girls to marry older men.
In any case, do animals not occasionally kill their outcast? It seems logical to me if we are positive (with evidence) that the individual who cannot be rehabilitated due to the nature of the crime, to permanently remove the offender from the society. That we do agree upon, but I see their continuing existence as a drain on society in more ways than one. How much does it cost to pay for one sadistic baby raping murderer to be incarcerated for life? I’d bet it’s a good bit. I would not like to say that innocent people would be put to death, but if one single innocent died, and 99 evil wastes of space were killed, how many lives could be saved? Especially in disgusting cases like Baby P, where these freaks of nature could get out in a few years, while still being FERTILE, and likely capable of doing this to someone else…
Wow
This forum is generating a lot of food for thought and has become just as informative as the original article(s). Especially Mazzi & Bakunin – thank you both for bringing up these issues and reminding us that we always need to evaluate and RE-EVALUATE ourselves and our system.
Such level-headed thinking reminds us that we at least strive to be civilized and not give in to the mob fever that these heinous crimes UNDERSTANDABLY incite within us.
At least some justice for poor baby peter…..one of the evil doers gets life and it seems he was the murderer most likely…WELL DONE JUDGE. The other two should of got much longer sentences and i hope it still comes for them. ESPECIALLY the mother.
This was such a sad story and it is even more sad coz even though this has come to light it is more than likely that babies around the world are STILL falling into the same fate….when will it stop…….why are parents doing this to there own flesh and blood.
Sites like these help everyone with a heart to realize the tragedy that occurs to the MOST innocent……BIG THANKS PYSH…..
So basically Owen and Connolly will get out in their 3-5 years if they are no longer considered a threat to children ? ……… now ask yourself, no matter how much time passes if you look back at this story in 3-5 years and remember what they put this baby through will you consider them safe ? One can only hope that the individual assigned to look at these POS in the future will still shudder in horror at what they did and throw away the key!
Exactly right Jessica!! There will never be a time when people this twisted will not be considered a threat to children.
And you know what really disturbs me? The idea that they will get new identities. So Steve Barker and his brother can find some other fat, needy woman with a child/children who will have NO idea of their past and let them in to torture abuse yet another.
How is that fair to society? Why are they concerned about being humane to these 3 animals when they showed not an ounce of compassion? And when doing so (being humane to them) risks the lives and well being of other children in the future????
Am i right in thinking then that the public outrage over the treatment of little peter has actually had an effect and contributed to the decision to appeal against the leniency of sentences…? For a long time we have felt powerless here in the uk,for example- we tried to get a version of megans law passed but no luck and often public opinion is ignored or played down so even if we’ve only made a little tiny difference then at least that is an improvement…
Guys, I am very, very haunted by this story. Any story with a child as a victim is incredibly disturbing to me but this one, this one I can’t erase out of my mind. I think of Baby P several times a day and about how he must have felt while his mom watched him being tortured and how he was FAILED by everyone around him.
I wish I had the chance to show you love sweet child.
I’ve been hugging my kids extra long and extra tight.
RIP
I feel exactly the same. I have a blonde haired blue eyed little angel who’s 12 months old, and no words can express how much i love him. Everytime he does something new and cute, i just feel like crying (in a good way!).
Which is why i will never understand how that evil thing who gave birth to baby Peter could have turned her back on him and allowed her sadist boyfriend to torture him. I keep seeing baby P’s beautiful face and i just can’t get it out of my head what those evil bastards did to him. I find it impossible to look at a picture of him without crying.
None of us will ever forget him. The beast who carried him (i refuse to call her a mother) didn’t care about him, but just look how many mummies he has now!
This makes me want to hug anyone’s kids. Can I come over and hug yours? :(
This story has hurt me so bad. I have cried many times for Baby Peter. What a precious little boy. Everyone in his life that could have failed him, failed him. Baby Peter died a extremely painful and lonely death. I wish that he would have gotten the love that he longed for and deserved. This case has hurt me so bad. I think about him everyday. Its so sad that it took his death for him to be loved, and that’s by people that have probably never known him. I know that I love him. I wish that someone that didn’t have anything to lose, would do the exact same things to those barbarians that they did to precious Peter. This case makes me believe that there is no God. I have never doubted his existence until this happened to Peter.
Hi Tiffany, I have the same sentiments about this case. Really touched and disturbed me. I think about Baby P all the time, and what makes it worse is that I know there are many others like him, slipping through the cracks. Makes me wonder how many neighbors heard him crying, screaming, how many people knew something was very wrong but never reported it. We have to be adamant about protecting children who can’t protect themselves. If people were just a little more cautious, if they just reported things that seemed wrong, maybe we’d have less of these cases.
The Sun newspaper currently has an online petition to sign if you demand a review of the pathetic sentences for the evil scum killers of baby Peter. I’m sure everyone here will want to sign but i don’t know how to get the link on. Or is there already a link for this petition on here that i’ve overlooked?
Hi darklite,
I hope this is the petition you were speaking of. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/template/v-1.0/module/petitionsPopUp.jsp?article=1922794
Hi Melissa,
The petition that i’ve signed is one that asks for longer sentences for baby Peter’s killers when they have their case reviewed. I just cannot seem to get a link on here, or maybe it’s just because i’m not very clued up when it comes to sending them!
Steven Barker has been transferred to Wakefield prison, which is only a bus ride away from the town where i live. He has had to be moved to a secure area due to the other inmates threatening to kill him. Throw him to the wolves is what i say.
There is a petition here:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/template/v-1.0/module/petitionsPopUp.jsp?article=2443674
I am another one haunted by this case, I think about it almost every day. I get a sick feeling thinking these people will be free again. Something is very wrong here, it is obvious to any human being with a conscience. If this is the law it needs to change. Human rights anyone??
Can anyone sign this or do you have to be in the UK?
I signed it also and I’m in US.
I can’t believe the boyfriend, Steven Barker, is appealing! Makes me feel disgusted to think that anyone would even consider giving him less time than his already lenient sentence. Why can’t I get close to him to rip his eyeballs out. I want him to be blind for the rest of his life and then to suffer in hell. Why does anyone think that Britain is civilised? What kind of society allow Steven Barker, Tracey Connolly and Jason Owen a chance to live their lives after destroying a child’s life?
Same kind of country where it is okay to run down the pedestrians if they walk in front of a moving vehicle. Jaywalkers hate England!
A huge note, When and if she does get out…If the public doesn’t kill her which I hope will happen then she needs to be sterilized….. And she must never bother her other children again. PLEASE somebody kill this Slag!!!!!
There are some articles on this story on the Daily Mail UK-baby’s bio father is apparently suing the British version of HHS for damages and bio mom apparently is unrepentant
how does these cases fall through the crackes maybe we need a better system. sometimes i wish we need a licence to become a parent
what is wrong with you dont sterilize the bitch she needs to be dead what mother an mother does this to her child that is her blood how i mean how having 8 beautiful kids i cannot understand how she allowed this to happen to an sweet little boy who did nothing all he wanted is to be loved i hope now the system have opened there eyes or must there be other please help the helpless who cannot help themself lets work together
this is discusting, there shouldnt be a ‘minimum’ of time theyre locked up, they should be sentenced for life, or even better – execution. how is it that i’v heard of stories of rapists getting longer time then these guys? murder is a horrible thing, but torturing and killing a defenseless baby is just sick and unhumanly.
Im completely outraged by this, if i could get my hands on all of these scumbags id kill them myself.
If anyone knows the addresses, phone numbers etc. of Tracey Connelly and Steven Barker’s family members, please leave them on this website.
I don’t think anyone has them.. I understand that Tracey has been moved multiple times from death threats.
isn’t that something she is being protected but a innocent baby was not?
I am completely and utterly appalled by this story. This is an innocent 17 month old baby we are talking about. He was a beautiful baby with amazing potential. If they didnt want this child, I would have taken this baby anyday, anytime. There are millions of people in the world who cannot have children. He would have been a blessing to them. This trio needs to be tortured as he was. I don’t understand how somebody could have the ability to look in this little boys blue eyes and think he deserves what they are doing to him. R.I.P Baby Peter Connelly
“The fact that the mother — Tracey Connelly — purportedly laughed when Barker snapped Peter’s spine. ”
Too bad people like her are protected in prison. I wonder how much she would enjoy it if some big Bertha mom in prison got hold of her, snapped her spine, and laughed afterwards?
I hate them all. They need to die.
That beautiful baby, he just breaks my heart.
I think about baby Peter every single day. The evil three should be cut up and thrown out to the wolves. RIP Peter, I’m so sorry xxx
i read that social services was at their house no less than 60 times (wtf) in the 17months that baby boy was alive and virtually nothing was done to protect him even on the last visit a few days before his murder he had covered up bruises on his face and body, a rash on his head and the house was filty tortured dead animals as well, lying around, yet the social worker saw nothing wrong?! this after 60 visits. i too, am haunted by the suffering that little boy was forced to endure. did not anyone in their building hear the cries?
i’d like to add that baby peter’s ‘mother’ sounds like a complete dimwit. as for her thug boyfriend and his friend, complete cowards to torture and bully helpless children and animals.
Scumbag Barker was attacked in jail on the 11th December by another inmate but no cheers from me as he wasn’t seriously hurt…yet.
A prison spokesman said, “Thanks to the prompt and professional action of officers at HMP Wakefield who intervened, this situation was brought under control almost immediately. The prisoner who was assaulted received treatment in the prison’s healthcare wing and the assailant is currently in the segregation unit.”
Let them loose on him and let him have it I say.
im right there with ya friend i would love to see the same shit only worse to the killers of baby brianna.
Genitals are ultimately for the creation of babies. That’s the whole purpose of sex, as far as nature is concerned.
Therefore, I don’t believe anyone who is a child abuser should be allowed to keep their genitals. Castration for the men, hysterectomies and FGM for the women. Period. I’d work to pay for every single procedure personally.