Peter Connelly - Baby P
March 1, 2006 - August 2, 2007
Today, January 27, 2009 I learned that this little Angels
name is Peter Connelly.

Born on March 1, 2006, Baby P. was able to say his first words, among those words, was the word "dad" which is what he called his mothers boyfriend who she moved in shortly after her marriage to Smiley's biological father ended. Just four short months after his parents split up, his mother was already living with another man and his life of torture had begun. On December 11, Baby P. was taken to the hospital and admitted with a two inch bruise on his forehead as well as bruises on his chest and shoulder.
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The picture above shows Peter with several bruises on his face.

A pattern that I have seen many many times while researching child abuse cases, this seems to be a case of a mother who wanted to keep her boyfriend happy and would allow him to do anything he wanted to in order to achieve that. I wish that I could shake some sense into these women and tell them that no man is worth the life of their children.
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While his mother was on the computer, her boyfriend put Smiley through some of the most horrific things I have ever heard of putting a child through. Smiley was used as a punching bag, his finger nails were pinched with pliers until they fell off. He was wrapped in so many layers of clothing that he began to sweat and had trouble breathing. He was treated like a dog so much that when the boyfriend would go towards him, he would put his head to the floor like an abused dog.

When the home was searched, police found dog and human feces on the floor as well as rat holes in the walls. Pornography was found and along with that the bodies of mice, baby chicks and a dismembered rabbit. Smiley's bed and bedroom walls had stains of his own blood on them. He weighed less than a child five months younger than he was. Smiley had been hitting his own head on the walls and the floor.

Doctors and social workers had seen the injuries and the bruises which should have indicated that that Smiley was being abused. His mother was arrested while under suspicion of abuse and was let go both times due to supposed lack of evidence. How can there be a lack of evidence when a child has that many injuries? None of these people were aware that the mother had moved in a man who was obsessed with causing pain to others. That is NO excuse though, this child was suffering and they had an obligation to help him. They failed another child!

WARNING...Graphic in nature! Please do not click on the link if you are easily triggered. Chart of Smiley's injuries

The man Smiley called dad wore combat gear, collected Nazi memorabilia, was obsessed with knives and was rarely seen without his Rottweiler dog. Also in the home he kept martial arts weapons and a crossbow. Relatives told stories of his torture and killing of small animals. Smiley's "dad" had been prosecuted for the torture of animals and also was investigated for torturing his own grandmother in an attempt to get her to change her will to benefit him. Unfortunately, the grandmother died of pneumonia before this could happen. This 32 year old, illiterate man moved into Smiley's mothers home in North London and within weeks, began torturing the poor little baby boy.

Resources which were given to this mother included social services paying for a woman named Ann Walker who was a registered child minder, to take care of Smiley four days a week.  Ann said this:

Doctors who saw Smiley said that the wounds they were seeing were "very suggestive of on-accidental injury" and they called social services. Smiley's mother and grandmother were arrested on suspicion of abuse. On December 22, Smiley was placed on Haringey's child protection register. Of course this would prove to be of no help to Smiley. Smiley was returned to his mother on January 26, 2007. This was done AGAINST police advice. By March the case worker assigned to Smiley's case noticed a red spot on his face and was told by his mother than he had hit his head on the side of a table and that he bruised easily.

The claim was checked out by doctors who didn't believe the mothers story. A report made stating this some how managed to NOT make it to the police or to the social workers until after Smiley's death on August 3. In April, after Smiley had turned one, he was taken to the hospital with a large swelling and bruises on his head. Even though social services was informed of this, Smiley was once again returned to his mother with Miss Ward stating that she had no concerns.

Smiley's mother missed scheduled appointments with Paulette Thomas who was her health visitor and was told in June to take Smiley to the hospital for a protection order check up. At that time, doctors found 12 places on his body with scratches and bruising with what they called a grip mark on his leg. Once again, his mother was arrested on suspicion of abuse. SHOCKINGLY, smiley was once again sent home with his mother. She, once again, failed to take Smiley to scheduled check ups.

On two occasions police asked for cross agency meetings, in the week before Smiley would die. Both times Haringey's lawyers claimed there was not enough information to begin what is are known as care proceedings.

In July a man moved into the home as a lodger, his name was Jason Own. He also had three children and a 15 year old girlfriend. Owen says that Smiley's mother and stepfather put chocolate and nappy cream on his face and hands  to hide his injuries from the social worker. The social worker and Sabah Al-Zayyat, the pediatrician missed injuries on the child.
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On July 29, Smiley spent what would be his last visit with his biological father. The father said that Smiley's head had been shaved and that his hand had bandages on it to cover a missing fingernail. On July 30 when he brought Smiley back to his mother he says this happened:

On his last day alive, Smiley was failed by even the police who had tried to protect him. On August 2, the police told his mother that no further action would be taken against her due to the suspicions of her abusing him. That day, Smiley would receive one final blow that would knock out one of his teeth and cause him  to stop breathing. The tooth would be found later, in his stomach.

Found dead in his cot the next morning, the police went to the North Middlesex Hospital and had the nerve to be shocked that his mother showed no emotion. Smiley's mother was arrested as well as her boyfriend. Police went to her house to do a search and found that the mother who had claimed to be a "damned good mum", was nothing of the sort. Having ben raised by a drug addicted mother, she knew all about social workers and how to manipulate them. One of the senior officers said"

Having not known her biological father until adulthood, she was told as a teenager that she would have to choose between going into care or being sent to a boarding school. Choosing boarding school, she ended up leaving there at the age of 15 and worked as a barmaid and a hairdresser. She married a man twice her age in 2003. Their relationship went bad shortly after Smiley was born, in 2006.

On November 13, 2008, Smiley's mother gave birth to another child, while in prison. She is fighting for visitation rights with that child. While in prison she is said to have discussed the case with an anonymous source who claims she said:

Surprisingly, a jury was unable to make a decision as for who struck the blow that killed little Smiley and the man who tortured him for all those months was found not guilty of murder. He was found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child. What is the difference? The man should go away for life. ALL three of the people involved should never be free again and should never be able to be around children again. 

Smiley's mother, stepfather and Jason Owen were scheduled to be sentenced in this case, on December 11, 2008. Disgustingly, each of them faces only a 14 year sentence for the horrible things that were done to this child. Names of Smiley's parents are being withheld due to another charge of abused involving another child in the family. How disgusting is it that these two people get more protection after what they did, than an innocent child was ever given in his life?

At the end of November 2008, sentencing was postponed until March or April of 2009. What is the hold up? Sentence them and get it over with. Let these monsters know that what they did was horrible and make it count. Giving a child killer a 14 year sentence is not enough. ANYONE who kills a child through abuse, should get and DESERVES to get, life in prison without parole.

Update:
I just today, March 1, 2009, became aware of the name of the people responsible for the death of this Angel. His mother, Tracey Connelly, and his stepfather, Steven Barker as well as Jason Owen are the ones who tortured and killed this little boy.

On Christmas 2008, about 100,000 people released blue balloons for Smiley. It does my heart good to know that so many people care about this little Angel and that he will be remembered.

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There is grave marker to memorialize this little boy. After his death, he was cremated and his ashes were spread over St. Pancras cemetery in Einfled North London England. There was as small memorial that was created by other people, for Peter. I thank God for those people who may not even know these little Angels, but they do all they can to keep their memory alive.

The black stone with the teddy bear which gives Peter's date of birth and the date when he died, is the headstone on his grave.

Peter's grave covered in hundreds of toys and messages from people who cared about him and loved him more than he had been cared for or loved by those who were supposed to take care of him.

People were so outraged as details of what happened to Peter come out that they were refusing to pay what is known as council tax. What was being demanded was that Sharon Shoesmith director of Haringey's Children and Young People's Service lose her job as well as others who had failed to protect Peter from his abusers. Stephanie Biber posted a message on the window of the Hornsey And Wood Green Labour Party offices asking for Sharon to be sacked:

More people felt the same way and had done the same thing. A spokesman for the council said that the police had been receiving  many calls from angry residents:

Update:

Thank you to Lisa for making me aware that the sentences had been handed down. People like you help me to be able to give the most current information about these children.

In May of 2009, the sentences (If you could call them that) for those responsible for the death of Peter Connelly. Tracey Connelly, who was 27 years old at the time, was given an indefinite sentence, however, she will be allowed to apply for parole in three years due to time she has already served in prison. In a letter she had written to the court in order to plead for leniency, Tracy said:

Tracey begged her family and Peter's biological father for forgiveness for what had happened to Peter:

Peter's biological father said that he felt horrible about how Peter had suffered through months of pain, fear and loneliness at the hands of these people, before his death. He added that his life had become a living nightmare since he had lost his son.

Steven barker, who was 32 at that time and was found to have raped a two year old girl was sentenced to only 12 years for Peter's death and was sentenced to life for raping the two year old girl. There was a recommendation that he serve at least ten years. 

Jason Owen, who was 37 at that time, was also given an indefinite sentence, though he will be allowed to apply for parole in two years.

Judge Stephen Kramer, who was the judge who gave these ridiculous sentences, said they would be held in prison until such time as they are no longer a risk to the public or to children.

Stephen Kramer, said the two given indefinite sentences would both be held until "deemed no longer to be a risk to the public, in particular to small children", the sentences were subject to widespread media criticism last weekend. The mother's tariff of five years means that in practice she could be released three years from now, because of the time she spent on remand awaiting trial.

In court, Judge Stephen Kramer admitted that Peter had died:

He also said to Tracey that she was:

This IDIOT Judge said all of that and then imposed less than life in prison without the possibility of parole? Who is he trying to fool? He obviously has no regard for the life of Peter.

Jack Straw  defended the use of these sentences saying that the tariff that had been set was only the minimum sentence that would be served. He said that he knew Lady Scotland, the attorney general, would ask the appeals court to review the cases as she sees these sentences as being unduly lenient:

It was said that the public needs to understand that these sentences do not mean that the prisoners will be released for sure after their minimum sentences had been served. Release of these prisoners would come when a parole board was satisfied that they were no longer a threat to society.

Some children's charities were extremely upset with the sentences. The National Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Children said that these sentences were unacceptable since they were so short:

A petition was set up and over night it already had 50,000 signatures of people who were demanding longer sentences for Peter's killers. Tracey's own mother said she would sign the petition:

Some comments from the public:

A mother, Sara Payne, who lost her own eight year old daughter, Sarah, when she was murdered in 2000 by a Pedophile named Roy Whiting commented:

On May 22, 2009, a second review of the way this case was handled, determined that Peter's death could and should have been prevented. It was found that doctors, lawyers, police and social workers should have been able to stop this abuse the very first time time Peter was seriously injured.

Though Peter had been placed under child protective services due to concerns about his care, his case was considered routine with the injuries being normal childhood injuries. The director of Haringey Council of children's services and four other of the employees there were fired from their jobs and two of the doctors involved have been suspended.

Lord William Laming, who was the head of a nationwide review of child protections services after Peter's death said that he was very confident that a wide ranging reform of the system to protect children would be introduced. He stated that Peter's case had brought out shock and concern due to the failure of public services to step in and
protect young children who had already been shown to be at a serious risk:

Baroness Scotland could refer the case to the Court of Appeal if she concludes the sentences were "unduly lenient".

Children's charities have condemned the jail terms given to the three people convicted of causing or allowing the little boy's death.

Last week at the Old Bailey Baby P's mother, 27, was given an indefinite sentence with a minimum term of five years after pleading guilty to causing or allowing her son's death.

Her boyfriend, 32, was jailed for life with a minimum of 10 years for raping a two-year-old girl. He was also given a 12-year term to run concurrently for his "major role" in Peter's death.

The couple's lodger, Jason Owen, 37, of Bromley, south east London, was jailed for a minimum of three years.

A spokesman for the Attorney General's office said she could appeal against the minimum terms handed down.

He said: "We have called for the papers in this case since the Attorney General has the power to refer certain sentences to the Court of Appeal for review if, after looking at all the facts, she thinks the sentence was unduly lenient.

"Within this power, the Attorney General can look at minimum tariffs imposed on life and indeterminate sentence prisoners.

"However, it is important to understand that such prisoners are not released automatically after the minimum term has been served - they are only released when the independent Parole Board is satisfied that their continued detention is no longer necessary to protect the public."

Read News Related To Peter's Death
See Pictures And Read About Peter's Memorial
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1-800-4-A-Child  1-800-422-4453

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My sincerest appreciation goes out to Diane Trembly for allowing me to use one
of her beautiful Angels to make the graphics for this set. Please visit her site,
by clicking the link below, to see all of her amazing work.