Mother of tortured toddler Baby P to face public parole hearing as she makes fresh bid for freedom
Tracey Connelly, now 44, is set to make her plea over the course of October 22 and 23 at an unconfirmed venue.
It will mark the abuser's first review since her second recall to prison in August last year for breaching her licence conditions.
Connelly was jailed in 2009 for causing or allowing the death of her 17-month son Peter at their home in Tottenham, north London, August 3, 2007.
She sought, alongside her lover Steven Barker and his brother Jason Owen, to cover up the injuries inflicted on the youngster - missed by social service and health workers.
Little Peter suffered more than 50 wounds over and eight-month period. These included a broken back, broken ribs, mutilated fingertips, and missing fingernails.
Tracey Connelly was initially released in 2013 but was later recalled to prison in 2015 for breaching her parole conditions.
She was released again in July 2022 after the parole board had rejected three previous bids in 2015, 2017 and 2019 -it was heard she was considered to be at 'low risk of committing a further offence' and that probation officers and prison officials supported the plan.
But after being called back to prison again in August last year - over breached licence conditions - Connelly will now face a review.
The Parole Board received two applications for October's review to be held in public, which described Connelly's 'landmark case' as 'one of the most high-profile and devastating child protection failures in UK history' that 'permanently altered the conversation around safeguarding', according to Judge Peter Rook KC's judgment.
It was argued the public still does not have access to the 'real details', citing that previous decisions around parole and recall have been made in private and a public hearing would 'provide crucial context to a case that remains deeply significant to the public'.
A lawyer for Connelly argued against the hearing being made public, saying it poses a risk to her safety and that there is a 'high risk' her identity will be compromised as 'threats to her safety are real and current'.
The legal representative also said Connelly has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression, and that a public hearing will 'exacerbate' these issues and have a 'significant and detrimental effect' on her evidence at the parole hearing.
But Judge Rook, on behalf of the chair of the Parole Board, said the lawyer acknowledged Connelly 'recovers well from these events'.
According to his judgment, Connelly experienced 'offence-related bullying and aggression' after her recall to prison which 'led to a decline in her mental health' but the judge said she reportedly responded well, without resorting to violence, and has now 'stabilised'.
Granting the application for October's hearing to be held in public, the judge said: 'There can be no doubt that there is a substantial public interest in this case.
'There is a strong public interest in the extent that Ms Connelly currently presents a risk and, if so, what measures are proposed in order to manage it.'
He added that a public hearing could 'reassure' the public of the 'thoroughness' of the Parole Board's risk assessment and the probation resources which would be supervising her in the event of her release.
'This may go some way to address legitimate public concern about Ms Connelly,' judge Rook said.
Permission for Connelly to leave prison in 2022 came despite the Parole Board panel highlighting concerns over her ability to manipulate and deceive, and hearing evidence of how she had become embroiled in prison romances and traded secret love letters with an inmate.
Then-justice secretary Dominic Raab appealed against the decision, but a judge rejected his bid to keep her behind bars. Condemning the move, Mr Raab said at the time this was proof the parole system needs a 'fundamental overhaul'.
When Connolly was first released, she was made subject to 20 licence conditions, including having to wear an electronic tag and disclose all her relationships, having her internet use monitored or obeying curfew.
She was also banned from going to certain places to 'avoid contact with victims and to protect children'.
The Parole Board said that she had been cleared due to a low risk of reoffending and that probation officers and prison officials supported the plan.
It will now be a matter for the Board to decide if the latest breach of her conditions was so serious that she should not be released.
A Parole Board spokesman said back in April: 'It's been directed to an oral hearing now but no hearing date has been set yet.'
Baby Peter's family had a violent history, with a report in the aftermath of the toddler's death concluding there were 'striking similarities' in 'patterns of care and abuse experience by Tracey Connelly' and those endured by the toddler.
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Daily Mail
37 minutes ago
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Revealed: Luxury lifestyle of millionaire recruitment boss who threatened to 'gang rape and set alight' Virgin air stewardess
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At the time of his arrest, Iftikhar was living in his £2m house in Iver, Buckinghamshire, where he kept a range of expensive cars - from a Range Rover, Bentley and Royles Royce - on his driveway. He lived in the six-bedroom home with one of his wives, Erum Salman, 38, and their three children, who watched in horror and tried to intervene during his in-flight drunken tirade. Together the pair run a London-based staffing company that provides training to businesses working in customer service and manufacturing. But according to those known to the couple the pair had a 'rocky marriage and would argue quite a bit' - with police being called in one instance. Back in Pakistan, however, Iftikhar has another wife - supermodel and actress Abeer Rizvi, with whom he has been married for five years. The actress, who has more than half a million followers on TikTok, has shared loved up videos of the couple looking happier than ever, cuddled up together or attending film premiers together. On Iftikhar's birthday earlier this year, the 37-year-old, who won Veet Supermodel of the Year in 2012, penned on Instagram: 'My beloved husband, on this day I want to honour you and your unique ways. … 'Disagreements may come and go, but your love and understanding comes in abundance. I am truly grateful for being able to share this journey with you.' The couple appear to enjoy an extravagant lifestyle, spending time on yachts, enjoying luxury holidays or driving around in expensive cars. Indeed back in the UK with his other wife and mother of his children, Iftikar is seen showing off a similar glitzy lifestyle. Pictures shared online show him posing in front of a royal blue Royles Royce kitted out with a white leather interior. Other images show a Range Rover, Bentley and a Mercedes parked outside the home of the six-bedroom property. However in reality, the recruitment boss, despite being very wealthy, had a failed business venture that have left him millions of pounds in debt. The business mogul previously owned an aviation recruitment business, however it went into administration owing more than £11m to HMRC and £6.885m to HSBC. The company, called Core Labour Supply Limited (CLSL), had a rapid rise and quickly started having a turnover of almost £90m in 2022. It meant Iftikhar was able to continue enjoying his taste for the high life - paying himself dividends of almost £1m a year between 2018 and 2021. But the business was badly affected by Covid and two of his biggest customers, which accounted for 35 per cent, left. The company couldn't meet repayment terms with the HMRC, forcing them into administration. He now owns a training company called Staffing Match, which he has owned since September 2024 for his wife. The London-based business provides training to businesses working in customer service and manufacturing. The couple have a number of other small related businesses, which do not have significant reserves or have made small losses. Despite this, Iftikhar, who now owns a training company called Staffing Match, still continued to live a luxurious lifestyle. A neighbour of Mr Iftikhar - who asked not to be named - revealed to the Daily Mail: 'He's definitely very flash, someone who likes to flaunt his wealth. 'How he made his money is beyond me, he ran a recruitment consultancy but I didn't really tend to see him leave for work. He was around the house most of the time. 'He moved in with his wife in 2016. At that time they had two children, but had another a few years later. I remember they threw a huge expensive first birthday party for their third child. 'The house has had a lot of work done. It had a brick frontage originally, but Salman had it all rendered. He also had a big extension round the back. 'The property used to be open, but he came along and surrounded it with big electric gates and an intercom system. 'He only ever really said hello or anything like that to me when he first moved in. After that he sort of fenced himself off and didn't really mingle with other neighbours much. 'One thing he did like was cars. He owned a Bentley and Range Rover, but he'd also drive different cars on a temporary basis. 'I think he may have been part of a car club or something like that because he'd drive a variety of different vehicles. Usually expensive looking ones. 'He was driving around in a red sports car a few months ago. He'd go out early evening sometimes and come home about 10pm revving the engine and blaring music out of the speakers. 'It was really annoying and inconsiderate especially as people were trying to get to sleep. He thought he looked cool, but he really didn't. 'I saw him a few times smoking weed on the front drive when I walked past his house towards the field. 'I gather he had issues with drugs and alcohol. I heard that at one point within the last few years he'd been banned from driving. 'His marriage had been rocky for a while, apparently, and he and his wife would argue quite a bit. The police were called to one incident last May. An officer knocked on several neighbour's doors asking if they'd heard any yelling.' Another local said: 'He'd usually tear down this road in a Range Rover or some other powerful car. 'We've got a 20mph speed limit here, but he was driving well above that. 'He was a bit of a poser when it came to cars and his house. He'd done a lot of the building work on his home around the time of lockdown a few years back. 'I thought he was a bit arrogant as he'd have friends turning up at his place at all hours and when he first moved in and was having building work done he'd parked his cars on his neighbour's driveway opposite without asking. 'The neighbour mentioned it to him and he stopped doing it, but didn't apologise or anything. I thought that was quite rude.' This week he admitted making threats to kill and racially aggravated harassment at Isleworth Crown Court, and was jailed for 15 months. Shocking footage shows Iftikhar repeatedly accusing Ms Walsh of being a racist and says: 'You called me a p*ki in front of everybody'. Iftikhar's wife and children can be heard crying in the background, pleading for him to stop as they were comforted by horrified cabin crew staff. Cabin crew were forced to discuss landing in Turkey due to his disruptive behaviour to which Iftikhar replied, 'I don't care. F*** it, go to Turkey. I have contacts'. He went on to say he knew where Mrs Walsh lived in Cardiff before shouting 'the white sheep sh****** b**** will be dead. The floor of your hotel will be blown up and it will disappear'. The court heard the incident had erupted when Iftikhar was told to stop picking up ice with his hands from the bucket at the bar he was drinking at. 'Mr Iftikhar was seen drinking champagne at the onboard bar, where he was talking to cabin crew,' said prosecutor Abdul Kapadia. 'During the defendant's first meal service, the defendant was seen helping himself to ice, leaning over bar he was drinking at, and taking ice with his hands. 'When told to stop, the defendant became irate, and started to film cabin crew with his phone, telling them: 'Do not tell me what to do you b****.' 'When asked by the cabin crew to return to his seat, he then said: 'Don't tell me what to do you racist f-king bitch. I know where you are from in Cardiff.' The pilot was then contacted, and turned the seat belt lights on. Iftekhar's profile describes him as an 'award winning entrepreneur' and 'investor' 'The defendant then shouted, and said: 'Look at this b**** having the seat belt sign on when there was no turbulence. What the f*** is this b**** doing?' Iftikhar returned to his seat and called crew member Angie Walsh a 'f****** b****.' Mr Kapadia said: 'The defendant's behaviour became worse. The cabin crew discussed a diversion to Turkey. 'The defendant was informed of this possible diversion, to which he replied: 'I don't care. F*** it, go to Turkey. I have contacts. 'The defendant then sat down, but his aggressive behaviour continued. 'His wife was ashamed. His three children were also on-board, and other crew members were called to assist, but the defendant continued shouting and swearing. 'He was slurring his words, with his voice raised. 'He shouted at the cabin crew: 'Do you know who I am?' 'The defendant's wife went to the food bar and tried to talk to cabin crew, but the defendant pushed his wife away, and shouted at her not to talk to crew. 'A crew member stabilised the wife's arm to prevent her from falling when she was pushed. 'The defendant then got up, and threatened to fight the cabin crew. 'He grabbed one flight attendant, called Tommy Merchant, and told him to shut up and go away. 'He told Mr Merchant: 'Do you know who I am? F*** off. You should know who I am. Come on you heard me. Let's go right now.' 'Staff tried to calm the defendant down. The defendant was asked if there was anything the cabin crew could do. 'But Mr Iftikhar leant forward and grabbed Ms Walsh's hand, squeezing it. 'Iftikhar called Ms Walsh a 'f****** white Welsh c***.' Mr Kapadia added: 'The defendant also threatened to blow up the floor of the Avari Lahore Hotel, where the cabin crew were due to stay. 'The defendant knew the specific hotel, but also the hotel room numbers, and threatened the cabin crew with this. 'He told Ms Walsh: 'You will be dead on the floor of your hotel'. 'Iftikhar shouted at Ms Walsh and said: 'The white sheep sh****** b**** will be dead. The floor of your hotel will be blown up and it will disappear. 'He told Ms Walsh: 'You will be dragged by your hair from your room and gang raped and set on fire'. 'The defendant said this while his three young children were crying and pleading for him to stop.' The details of the hotel turned out to be correct, and Ms Walsh had to stay there overnight, and could not sleep, Mr Kapadia said. Mr Kapadia said when the plane landed in Pakistan no action was taken against Iftikhar. Ms Walsh sat in court accompanied by her sister, Claire Walsh, who is also a Virgin Atlantic flight attendant, in their uniforms. She told how she had to take 14 months off work in a victim impact statement read to the court. She said: 'I feel like what happened that day has changed my life enormously. 'I can't quite believe that one passenger has had this much of an impact on my job, my career and my life. 'I am a strong, brave, happy stewardess, and loved my job. I am well known within the company. 'I have been flying with Virgin Atlantic for 37 years. I was working when all flights were grounded on 9/11, and I've even flown into a warzone. But this incident has broken me. 'But I don't feel strong enough anymore. I was abused for eight hours and 15 mins. It has broken me. It was a very personal attack. 'I was doing everything in my power to protect passengers and the crew from him. I felt exposed and vulnerable, especially as we were 39,000 feet in the air. There was nowhere for me to go. 'There was one moment where I felt I could not cope. I went into the cockpit and had a meltdown. I said to the captain I don't know what to do. 'Even the threat of diverting the plane to Turkey or Baku, Azerbaijan, had no effect. 'I was traumatised by the threat of being gang raped. 'Never in my entire career flying for 37 years have I not been sure what to do. 'I have had the best career in the world for 37 years. But he has taken that away from me.' Iftikhar, of Iver, Buckinghamshire, admitted making threats to kill and racially aggravated harassment, in relation to Ms Walsh. He was cleared of assault by beating and threats to kill in relation to Mr Merchant. Ben Walker-Nolan, defending, said Iftikhar was suffering from 'amnesia blood loss', which contributed to what happened. Mr Walker-Nolan added: 'Although there were over 100 incidents over the course of eight hours, the most serious, including threats to kill, were limited. 'The defendant has buried his head in the sand for a long period, and expressed regret. 'He has a long standing drug and alcohol problem which he has not addressed for many years. 'He is a successful businessman who employs a lot of people.' Iftikhar has six previous convictions arising from 15 offences, including common assault in 2004 and drink driving in 2008. He was fined £3,000 in 2021 after he was caught drink driving, as well as being under the influence of cannabis in his Rolls Royce in 2021. Family members wept in the public gallery as the judge Ms Recorder Annabel Darlow KC said: 'Your threats to kill were made in the presence of children, specifically your three young children. 'These were threats made with significant violence. 'Your children had to be comforted by cabin crew staff while you made those threats. 'Ms Walsh has given up a job which she has loved for 14 months, but thankfully has now returned to work. 'This was a sustained incident which involved repeated racist abuse to Ms Walsh. 'You have a lengthy and appalling record of misconduct. You have not addressed the underlying cause of this for many years, that is your drug and alcohol problem. 'Given your lifestyle and your ability to earn money, your harm and risk has not moved. 'This was an appalling incident which has caused long lasting and devastating consequences.' Iftikhar, who appeared in the dock wearing a grey suit with a pink shirt, and a yellow tie wept as he was jailed for 15 months. According to his LinkedIn profile he is the director and founder of recruitment firm Staffing Match. A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson commented: 'The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority, and we take a zero-tolerance approach to any disruptive or abusive behaviour on board our aircraft. 'We will always work closely with the relevant authorities and will not hesitate to seek prosecution for those individuals that cause disruption onboard through unacceptable behaviour.' 'We're incredibly grateful to Angie and our cabin crew onboard who dealt with this distressing situation in a calm, courageous and professional manner.
