Baby P’s stepfather loses parole bid to be freed from jail

The stepfather of Baby P, who died after months of abuse, has lost his latest parole bid to be freed from prison.

Steven Barker was jailed for 12 years in 2009 for causing or allowing the death of 17-month-old Peter Connelly in Tottenham, north London, in 2007.

He was also handed a life sentence and ordered to serve a minimum term of 10 years after being convicted of rape at a separate trial.

In a decision released on Tuesday, the Parole Board said: “After considering the circumstances of his offending, the progress made while in custody and the evidence presented in the dossier, the panel was not satisfied that release at this point would be safe for the protection of the public.

“Nor did the panel recommend to the Secretary of State that Steven Barker should be transferred to an open prison.

“Given that key areas of risk remain to be addressed, the panel considered that he was appropriately located in a closed prison.”

It comes almost a month after Tracey Connelly – Baby P’s mother and Barker’s girlfriend at the time – was taken back to prison just two years after being freed, having breached licence conditions for a second time. She was also convicted for her role in her son’s death alongside Barker’s brother Jason Owen.

According to parole documents, this is 48-year-old Barker’s fifth review since the end of his minimum term, meaning he has already spent an extra seven years behind bars.

The panel reviewing his case found that at the time of his crimes, Barker was taking drugs, “struggling with his relationships” and was “preoccupied with sex, believing that he could have sex as and when he wanted to”.

During his sentence, Barker has “maintained his innocence” over the rape and despite accepting that he “allowed Baby P’s death by not informing professionals about his injuries”, he “denies causing his death or causing any of his injuries”.

But the panel “considered his risk based on the fact that he was properly convicted”.

Behind bars he is yet to take part in any courses which might “reduce his risk of violent and sexual offending”, had been “ambivalent” about treatment and “seemed despondent about his future”.

“In the absence of work to address his risk factors, professional reports before the panel considered his risk to others to be high if he were to be released”, the papers said.

Barker will face another parole review in around two years’ time.