Final insult to Baby P....New identity for killer mum

Now public faces paying millions to provide Baby P's mother with a new identity

By Colin Fernandez
Last updated at 11:10 PM on 21st November 2008

The taxpayer faces a multimillion-pound bill to give the evil mother of Baby P a new identity when she leaves prison.

Amid the widespread public revulsion at the case, lawyers will use human rights legislation to claim that the 27-year-old's life is at risk.

They are believed to be already drawing up a list of demands to ensure that she receives permanent 'protection' from the public.

It would involve a new home, name and round-the-clock police protection for the woman.

In addition, it is likely that her legal team will request a lifelong court order - banning anyone from identifying her or her whereabouts.

Similar orders have been granted for other notorious convicts - including the Soham murderer's girlfriend Maxine Carr, child killer Mary Bell and the boys who murdered toddler James Bulger.

The latest move is being planned because of the public outcry over the ordeal of 17-month-old Baby P at the hands of his mother, her boyfriend and lodger.

They are awaiting sentence after being convicted at the Old Bailey of allowing the death of the child whose back was broken during an appalling spell of abuse at a filthy, rat-infested house in Tottenham.

Officially, they cannot be identified because of continuing legal proceedings.

But they have been repeatedly named on the internet in a series of orchestrated attacks on them, as well as a poster campaign on the streets of North London.

One Facebook group, entitled 'Baby P killers should be hanged, drawn and quartered', already has more than 32,000 members.

The mother, who has given birth again while in jail, faces a maximum of 14 years when she is sentenced next month for allowing the death of a child.

But as she has already spent time in prison on remand, she could be free in as little as five years.

When her time for release approaches, her solicitors will apply to the High Court to rule that her new identity and whereabouts may not be revealed in the media.

They will have to show explicit, realistic death threats for the application to succeed.

But with the obvious anger in the messages circulating on the internet, this should hardly be a problem.

One said of the convicted three: 'Put them out of their misery. Just kill them, they don't deserve to live. When they get out we will be the ones paying for them, they won't be able to work, they will have new names, protection from the Old Bill, a new place to live, why should they get this?'

Another asked: 'How can anyone do this to anyone, let alone an innocent little child? Hanging them is too easy for them - they should be tortured exactly how Baby P was but worse!!'

The basis of the application by Baby P's mother for lifelong anonymity would be Article 2 of the Human Rights Act, the right to life, and Article 8, the right to privacy and family life.

These will have to be balanced against Article 10, the right to free speech and the principle of openness in legal proceedings, said Niri Shan, of Taylor Wessing solicitors.

There's a distinct possibility her lawyers will make an application for anonymity on
her release and there is a good chance of them getting it if they can show there's a genuine threat to her life, on the basis of how courts have interpreted the law in previous cases.'

Paul Gilbert, of Finers Stephens Innocent, said: 'It is conceivable that we will end up with a situation where, because of things like Facebook, anonymity requests are going to increase because there is such a wealth of evidence justifying a threat to life.'

Gary Slapper, Professor of Law at the Open University, said: 'There is a very clear phenomenon of deeper public revulsion against women who commit crimes against children and the family than against men.

'There is an ancient idea that the mother is the fount of the family and anything she does against a child is worse than anything done by a man.'

Legal rules mean that the 16 months Baby P's mother has spent on remand will reduce the time she has to spend in jail by 32 months, and she will receive a reduced sentence for pleading guilty to allowing her son's death.

The only person named in the trial is the couple's 36-year-old lodger, Jason Owen, from Bromley, Kent.

He has already had razor blades passed under his Brixton prison cell door - with a note saying: 'Do it yourself or we'll do it for you.'

The Ministry of Justice has declined to comment on the case.

Andrew Rosindell, Conservative MP for Romford, said: 'I think the British people will be hugely appalled by any suggestion that those who are guilty of this appalling crime against an innocent child should have huge amounts of public money splashed on them in order to protect them in the long term.

'If anyone is found guilty of such a crime I don't see it as the role of the British taxpayer to fund their anonymous lifestyle for ever. It's almost an open invitation to commit a serious crime and get a new life. I think that's quite an appalling precedent to set.'

Philip Davies, Tory MP for Shipley, said: 'I personally find it rather offensive that the taxpayer may end up picking up a huge bill to protect this woman's human rights, giving the complete disregard she showed for the human rights of her baby.

'I think the case is one of the most harrowing and distressing events, and it would be another kick in the teeth for the decent law-abiding taxpaying public if they have to fund a better lifestyle for her because we are so obsessed with her human rights.'

After the Soham murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, Maxine Carr was jailed for 42 months for lying to protect her boyfriend, Ian Huntley, and was released in May 2004.

Her barrister argued at the court hearing granting her anonymity: 'There is a real and significant risk of injury - or worse, killing - if the injunction is not granted.

'There is compelling evidence of danger to her life and limb if anonymity is not maintained. That is the unanimous view of the police and Probation Service.'

Since Carr's release she has had to move at least 11 times - with the cost to the public purse running into millions.

Others in a similar position were children when they committed their crimes, such as Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, who murdered the toddler James Bulger and were released on licence in 2001.

Mary Bell was jailed in 1968 at the age of 11 for the manslaughter of two boys, Martin Brown, then four, and Brian Howe, aged three.

She was released from custody in 1980 and gave birth to a daughter in 1984.

Bell and her daughter were initially granted anonymity until the girl reached the age of 18, but in 2003 the High Court ruled that she and her mother should be granted anonymity for life.

Great!! Just bloody great! There was no money to protect her baby and now they are going to spend millions protecting this killer who hasnt paid one penny of tax in her life?

The law sucks!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7743563.stm

MPs have raised concerns over suggestions that lawyers for the mother of Baby P will use human rights laws to protect her identity forever.

Tory MP Andrew Rosindell said the public would disapprove of taxpayers' money spent on a person "when they have committed such an evil crime".

Child killers in the past including Mary Bell and the murderers of toddler James Bulger were given new identities.

The 27-year-old mother of Baby P was convicted of causing the baby's death.

The Daily Mail suggests that widespread public anger sparked by the case may put her life at risk.

Baby P died in August 2007 after suffering sustained abuse in Haringey, London, where the toddler was on the council's at-risk child protection register.

The mother along with her boyfriend and lodger were convicted of involvement in his death and are to be sentenced on 15 December.

Because of legal restrictions, only the lodger - Jason Owen - can be named.

'Not imminent'

Mr Rosindell, shadow minister for home affairs, said that the question of whether the name and whereabouts of the mother of Baby P would be kept out of the public domain was a "big problem".

"There is likely to be permanent hatred towards those people who are guilty of the baby's murder," he said.

"For that reason I would imagine, based on past precedent, that the authorities would consider some sort of protection or fresh identity for that person."

But he added that the matter did not have to be considered immediately regarding the lengthy jail sentence the baby's mother was likely to serve.

He also drew on the possibility that she may never be released as was the case of Myra Hindley, who died in prison after being convicted of killing children in 1966.

"Any suggestion that we should already be planning for release or re-accommodation and expenditure is not something that anybody should be considering at this time," he said.

Colleague Philip Davies, Conservative MP for Shipley, told the Daily Mail: "I personally find it rather offensive that the taxpayer may end up picking up a huge bill to protect this woman's human rights, given the complete disregard she showed for the human rights of her baby."

But the Ministry of Justice played down claims that her solicitors were drawing up plans to seek an anonymity order from the High Court as "pure speculation".

A spokesman said: "She's not even been sentenced yet and something like this usually comes towards the end of a person's sentence. It's not something that is imminent."

I am not happy about paying for this piece of shit to have a new identity. I would rather pay someone to torture her.

eddie wrote:I am not happy about paying for this piece of shit to have a new identity. I would rather pay someone to torture her.

This will cause an uproar if she is given a new identity so I cannot see it hapenning.

MsTaken wrote:

eddie wrote:I am not happy about paying for this piece of shit to have a new identity. I would rather pay someone to torture her.

This will cause an uproar if she is given a new identity so I cannot see it hapenning.

Even if they tried someone would know who she was and her name would be plastered over the internet like her name is now.

I and many others are absolutely outraged by this so called mother. I will be so mad if one penny of my money
is used to help this woman.
Wish someone would just bump her off in prison and put and end to it.
This is very strong for me but I am just about at the end of my tether, reading all the rubbish about new identity etc.

Krisy22 wrote:I and many others are absolutely outraged by this so called mother. I will be so mad if one penny of my money
is used to help this woman.
Wish someone would just bump her off in prison and put and end to it.
This is very strong for me but I am just about at the end of my tether, reading all the rubbish about new identity etc.

Well I dont pay taxes in the UK but over here in Spain the public would riot about this!

Ambersuz wrote:

Krisy22 wrote:I and many others are absolutely outraged by this so called mother. I will be so mad if one penny of my money
is used to help this woman.
Wish someone would just bump her off in prison and put and end to it.
This is very strong for me but I am just about at the end of my tether, reading all the rubbish about new identity etc.

Well I dont pay taxes in the UK but over here in Spain the public would riot about this!

Hi Amber, its about time they did here too.

Krisy22 wrote:

Ambersuz wrote:

Krisy22 wrote:I and many others are absolutely outraged by this so called mother. I will be so mad if one penny of my money
is used to help this woman.
Wish someone would just bump her off in prison and put and end to it.
This is very strong for me but I am just about at the end of my tether, reading all the rubbish about new identity etc.

Well I dont pay taxes in the UK but over here in Spain the public would riot about this!

Hi Amber, its about time they did here too.

It seems to me that the sentences are very odd in the UK....child killers and pedos get around 8 years on average...and then you steal the Queens money on its way to be burnt and you get life imprisonment hmmm

Ambersuz wrote:

Krisy22 wrote:

Ambersuz wrote:

Krisy22 wrote:I and many others are absolutely outraged by this so called mother. I will be so mad if one penny of my money
is used to help this woman.
Wish someone would just bump her off in prison and put and end to it.
This is very strong for me but I am just about at the end of my tether, reading all the rubbish about new identity etc.

Well I dont pay taxes in the UK but over here in Spain the public would riot about this!

Hi Amber, its about time they did here too.

It seems to me that the sentences are very odd in the UK....child killers and pedos get around 8 years on average...and then you steal the Queens money on its way to be burnt and you get life imprisonment hmmm

I agree Amber, hopefully people here are at long last waking up. This case of baby Peter is really knocking us for six and not before time.

well i do hope she keeps locked up like Hindley was, even with a new id she will not be safe.