Man jailed over Baby P case may be freed
One of the trio jailed over Baby P’s death could walk free from prison this week.
Jason Owen, 39, is serving a six-year sentence for causing or allowing the death of 17-month-old Peter Connelly exactly four years ago.
He is expected to be eligible for release at the end of this week, halfway through his jail term, taking into account the 289 days he spent in custody on remand before he was sentenced.
The Sun reported that he will be freed on Friday.
Owen, from Bromley, Kent, was a lodger at the home of his brother Steven Barker in Tottenham, north London, where Peter died on August 3, 2007.
In May 2009, an Old Bailey judge gave Owen an indeterminate sentence of imprisonment for public protection with a minimum term of three years for his part in the boy’s death.
This meant he could apply for parole after three years but would only be released once the Parole Board was satisfied he no longer posed a risk to the public.
However, Owen challenged his sentence at the Court of Appeal and in October 2009 was ordered to serve a fixed six-year jail term instead.
Today is the fourth anniversary of Peter’s horrific death at the hands of his mother Tracey Connelly, her boyfriend Barker and Owen.
He suffered more than 50 injuries despite being on the at-risk register of Haringey Council in north London and receiving 60 visits from social workers, police and health professionals over the final eight months of his life.
A series of reviews have identified missed opportunities when officials could have saved him if they had acted properly on the warning signs.
Sharon Shoesmith, Haringey’s director of children’s services at the time of Peter’s death, is in line for compensation estimated at up to £1 million after Supreme Court judges this week rejected applications to challenge a ruling that she was unfairly sacked following the tragedy.
