Tony Hudgell’s cruel biological father, who inflicted such severe abuse on him as an infant that it resulted in the amputation of his legs, has been released from prison shortly after his birth mother’s release.

Anthony Smith, 54, and Jody Simpson, 31, received 10-year sentences in 2018 for their child cruelty offenses against their son.

At only six weeks old, young Tony suffered broken fingers and toes, torn ligaments, and sepsis due to the appalling abuse inflicted by his birth parents.

The warped couple let their innocent baby suffer in excruciating pain for ten days before they bothered to take him to hospital.

When doctors first treated him, Tony was near death, and the extreme abuse he endured led to the amputation of his legs in 2017.

Despite their sick crimes and 10 year sentences, both of Smith and Simpson have now been released from jail early.

Simpson was released from HMP Downview is Sutton on July 1 and was quickly whisked away in a blacked-out car to a halfway house.

She was released previously in February of the previous year but was returned to custody five months later for violating her strict licence conditions by engaging in a relationship with a convicted sex offender.

Smith was allowed to walk free yesterday after being granted parole on June 19.

He will also be taken to a halfway house where he will remain under ‘strict supervision and licence conditions’.

A Probation Service spokesperson said: ‘This was a horrific crime that saw Tony Hudgell mercilessly tortured by his birth parents and our thoughts remain with him and his loved ones.

‘Now that the independent Parole Board has directed his release, Anthony Smith will be subject to strict supervision and licence conditions. He faces an immediate return to prison if he breaks the rules.’

After the release of Simpson in July, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘This was a horrific crime that saw Tony Hudgell mercilessly tortured by his birth parents and our thoughts remain with him and his loved ones.

‘Now that Jody Simpson has been released as directed by the Independent Parole Board, she will be subject to strict supervision and licence conditions. She faces an immediate return to prison if she breaks the rules.’

The Parole Board’s decision to release Simpson and Smith has sparked criticism from Tony’s adoptive mother Paul Hudgell, who is currently battling stage four lung cancer.

Mrs Hudgell, 57, has warned the boy’s biological mother ‘remains a serious risk to children’ and said she ‘worries’ what will happen after the heavy monitoring stops.

Speaking about Smith’s release, Mrs Hudgell said: ‘I knew this day would come and that he would eventually be released from prison – but it is still hard to take. The only good thing is that he will be heavily monitored for the next two years. But I worry what will happen after that. I have seen no evidence that Smith has any remorse for what he’s done – or even any understanding of the effect he’s had on Tony’s life.

‘Tony will be living with his injuries for the rest of his life, they will never go away, because of what Smith and his former partner did to their baby. Smith is a danger to children and, if he doesn’t get recalled in the next two years for breaching his licence, he will be free to do as he pleases. This system is clearly broken – we need something to stop child abusers from acting in this way again.’ 

In a post on her social media after Simpson’s release in July, she wrote: ‘After serving just two years on licence, she will be legally free to live as she chooses. This includes being around children -and even having another child.

‘This situation underscores the urgent need for a national child cruelty register – a system to ensure that individuals with a history of harming children are monitored, restricted, and prevented from reoffending.

‘Our children deserve protection. A register would not only help safeguard vulnerable young lives, but also bring peace of mind to communities across the country.

‘It’s time we put children’s safety first.’

Mrs Hudgell is now campaigning for the government to introduce a National Register of Child Abusers so those convicted of child cruelty can never work with young people and any future children they have will be taken into care.

However, a letter from Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said: ‘Unfortunately the Department for Education is not in a position to be able to develop and deliver a child cruelty register at this time.’

Mrs Hudgell said she was ‘absolutely disappointed’ by the response, but vowed to keep lobbying the government.

‘We’ve got to keep pushing and pushing. But I won’t give up, I won’t back down,’ she said.

In 2021, Mrs Hudgell and Tony, who is now 10, successfully campaigned for the introduction of Tony’s Law.

It calls for child abusers to face possible life sentences and was enacted in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.