The detective who once questioned the notorious mother of Baby P remains adamant that she is a “manipulative monster” who should not be granted another chance at freedom. This comes as she attempts yet again to secure her release from prison.

Tracey Connelly, now 44, was sentenced to an indefinite prison term in 2009 for her role in the tragic death of her son, Peter, known to the public as Baby P. The toddler died under her care in North London in 2007, after enduring severe and prolonged abuse.

Baby P was just 17 months old when he was found lifeless in his blood-stained cot in Tottenham on August 3, 2007. His small body bore more than 50 injuries, including eight fractured ribs and a broken spine.

John Wedger, a former detective with the Metropolitan Police, had a chilling encounter with Connelly shortly before Peter’s death. As her parole hearing approaches, Wedger argues that Connelly should not be released, maintaining she is unworthy of a second chance.

Wedger recalls Connelly’s demeanor during her time at the police station near her Haringey home. He describes her as pretending to be a devoted mother while offering “ridiculous” explanations for her son’s injuries, which were clearly indicative of severe physical abuse.

The facade crumbled, however, when the detective read from the pediatric report. This report was pivotal in deciding whether Connelly would remain on bail or be remanded on suspicion of assaulting her son, Peter.

‘She lost control and she stood up and spat at me and called me a ****,’ he told The Sun, as he divulged how she lost control as he retorted her behaviour was ‘the monster’ little Baby P saw. 

Yet despite mounting evidence she was abusing little Peter, she was released. The local council also did not deem Baby P as meeting the threshold to be placed in to care, Mr Wedger recalled. 

Tracey Connelly (pictured), 44, will face a two day public parole hearing after being put back behind bars for breaking the conditions of her release

The wounds Peter (pictured) suffered included a broken back, broken ribs, mutilated fingertips, and missing fingernails

By this point, the 17-month-old had been placed with social services twice before being returned to his evil mother.

At the time of his death, he was on the at-risk register and had also been visited 60 times by police, social workers and health professionals in an eight-month period. 

Meanwhile, Connelly has been released and recalled on two separate occasions after being sentenced for her horrifying crimes against her son because she breached the conditions of her licence. 

When queried if the 44-year-old could be rehabilitated, Mr Wedger revealed that while she may present herself as ‘plausible’ and ‘respectable’, he believes she is a ‘deep rooted, manipulative liar’. 

Adding how she covered her tracks extremely well, he said: ‘It’s twisted and sadistic – I don’t think that woman should be allowed near children ever.

‘I don’t think that woman should ever be given a second chance.’

Referring to the possibility of her release once again, the ex-Met detective insisted Connelly should be kept away from children, and if that meant prison was the sole option, then so be it. 

Connelly, as well as her partner Steven Barker and his brother Jason Owen were convicted of causing or allowing the death of a child in 2008. During the trial, a court order prohibited Baby P’s name being reported until its conclusion. 

Last October, she told the latest parole hearing from jail via Zoom where she said that she let her son die because she was ‘selfish’ and wanted a ‘happy ever after’.

Elaborating that she did not want to admit that Barker was capable of violence, she said: ‘I did not want to admit the truth.’

‘I was selfish. I wanted my happy ever after,’ she admitted:

‘I slapped my children. I used it when they misbehaved, I think it was more that I was not coping.

Connelly sought, alongside her lover Steven Barker (pictured) and his brother Jason Owen, to cover up the injuries inflicted on the youngster – missed by social service and health workers

Barker’s brother, Jason Owen, (pictured) received a six-year jail sentence for allowing the toddler to die

‘It was easier for me to slap them rather than try and explain what a proper mother should have done.’

For the first time speaking about her son’s death, she confessed she was a ‘bad mother’ before saying: ‘I wanted my Prince Charming and my children paid for that.’

The hearing was adjourned, and is set to take place on May 20 and May 21, and will also be open to the public. 

In 2013, Connelly was released from prison but was placed back behind bars two years later for breaching the conditions of her parole by selling nude pictures online. 

And she was freed yet again in 2022, but recalled in September 2024 for openly disregarding the conditions of her release at a bail hostel. 

She had ‘developed an intimate relationship with a man’ which she concealed from a probation officer, an parole opening heard. 

The death of Peter, more widely known as Baby P, sparked outrage across the UK as the extent of his injuries were brought to light as well as the number of times he had been visited by social services, health care professionals and police. 

Connelly, her partner Barker and his brother Owen, were all sentenced to time behind bars. Barker lost his parole bid in 2024, however his older sibling has since been freed. 

A spokesperson for the Parole Board said: ‘A public oral hearing has been listed for the parole review of Tracey Connelly and is scheduled to take place in May 2026.

‘Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.