Baby P

After the horrific story of Baby P came out, where each detail seems to add yet another awful question (how can you get away with hiding injuries with chocolate smears? how can a doctor fail to notice that a baby’s back is broken?), and then the desperately unseemly sight of MPs bawling at each other across the House of Commons (what a collective failure of decency by those sitting behind Brown and Cameron who somehow thought that was an appropriate way to behave when the death of baby was being discussed), we now have this:

The Times has also learnt that Haringey Council, sharply criticised after the death of Victoria Climbie eight years ago, hampered the investigation into the death of Baby P by not handing over all their information to murder squad detectives.

It was only when the trial got to court and the judge requested that they provide all their evidence that police officers were able to see everything they had.

A senior source involved in the inquiry said: “The council came in with pages and pages of stuff that we had no idea existed and had never seen before.”(The Times)

I thought Lynne Featherstone (one of the Haringey MPs) had it quite right in making the comparison with the Brand/Ross affair. In a world where – without waiting for any inquiry results to be published – the Controller of Radio 2 resigns after a deeply unpleasant radio prank, surely someone somewhere in all of this should have the decency to quit?

The one tiny, tiny bright spot has been the behaviour of the Speaker. I’ve not been a great fan of his, but he went up greatly in my estimation – he at least had the decency to try to restore a semblance of dignity to MPs’ behaviour at Prime Minister’s Questions.

UPDATE: Alix has written about how our anger and horror over the tragedy can be turned into effective, practical action.

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485 Comments

  • people like baby ps parents dont deserve to live!!! they should be torcherd like they did to there son!!

  • This story still disgusts me too much to form any sort of balanced opinion on it at the moment.

    Still you can generally set your watch to official reaction. Shock, horror, the fabled line of ‘lessons will be learned’, then continue blundering on as per usual till next time.

    Someone should definitely be out of a job over this. The ‘doctor’ that failed to realise the child was paralysed would be a good start.

  • This is an absolute disgrace, Their should be no enquiry to wether these people should be sacked or not.

    In any profession if you FAIL to do your job you get SACKED or do the decent thing and STEP DOWN.

    A life has been lost the child could not speak for itself and this is why we have social services, time and time again they are failures. how can they sleep at night.

    Bring back the deaf penalty for these sick people who tortured the child.

    And sack the social workers and heads who did not do there job properly.

  • I don’t know why everyone keeps repeating the same song: “resign” “sack” “step down”. The utterly unbelievably disgraceful stupid twisted dumb bureaucrats who are responsible for this should be jailed for 80 years.

  • I am sickened by this,

    I am not a trained social worker or Doctor but I could tell instantly if there was something suspect about a childs well being or Health because I am a Mother!

    Yet after numerous visits to the Doctors and 60 official Social Services visits still poor Baby P remained with the people who bore him ( I cannot bring myself to call them parents!)

    The officials responsible should be sacked and the maximum prison sentance for those who commited this hideous revolting act of violance against him.

    God rest he’s little sole.

  • It beggars belief that no one saw, heard or cared for that poor defenceless child. My stomach churns. Hope you are resting in heaven little baby

  • AZMINA THANDA 13th Nov '08 - 12:54pm

    IT IS APALLING HOW THEY TAKE CHILDREN OFF THE PARENTS WHO ACTUALLY CARE AND LEAVE KIDS WITH PARENTS LIKE THESE…ITS ALL ABOUT MONEY…IF IT WAS CHEAPER TO ADOPT AND FOSTER ETC…THEY WOULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING…IT ALL BOILS DOWN TO MONEY!!!!!!!!!

  • rebecca fisher 13th Nov '08 - 1:04pm

    I constantly look at the imformation, pictures on baby P, I look across to my two little boys, one of which is 8 months and the other of 23 months, both my children lie between the age of baby P, i look at their tiny hands and feet and loving faces, and still fail to see how could such things happen to un tainted souls, all they want is love, reassurance, nothing more and nothing less, how could he hurt him, with him looking him back in the face with his innocent pleding eyes, i can see only one good thing to come from this, and that it is baby P is now in place where no one and nothing can harm him, all we can do is love our children that little bit more, and give extra hugs for those who go without, RIP Baby P, god rest your peaceful soul.

  • rebecca fisher 13th Nov '08 - 1:11pm

    can i just say something about Ian J comments, its not about colour or race, its about a child, which is the important fact here, being ignored and abused being the issue, bullies like the man who hurt Baby P, like other people out there, dont see colour, they see a weaker being that they can dominate, and i dont think that the adoption people see colour as a priorite either, please excuse me if in speaking out of term, or seeing things black and white.

  • Ian and Rebecca – not that it makes even an ounce of difference – but baby P was actually white and blonde!!!

    See obscured picture here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk
    Also here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk

    So Ian’s comments are total nonsense.

    Just shows how people like Ian manage to turn every situation into a race issue whilst the facts are EXACTLY opposite!!

  • This is happening all the time.
    Take a look at this recent case where no one was even charged and no one seems to care!

    http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/

  • HANG YOUR HEADS IN SHAME HARRINGAY SOCIAL SERVICES AND THE SO CALLED DOCTOR WHO FAILED TO DIAGNOSE A BROKEN BACK AND 8 BROKEN RIBS. SEVENTEEN MONTHS OF PAIN, NO LOVE, NO CUDDLES. NOT ONE PERSON SHOULD BE SACKED THE WHOLE LOT OF THEM ARE A DISGRACE TO THEIR PROFFESSION

  • I have a 17month old baby and I choke up every time I think of Baby P. How can anyone torture helpless children is beyond my understanding. They must be the lowest and filthiest scum. I wish they would bring the death penalty on people who commit crimes against children.

  • emily jones 13th Nov '08 - 2:20pm

    The people who did this to baby p should be locked up for life n tortured by others like they did to baby p. The death penalties to easy. As for the social workers and doctors who could have helped baby p should never beable to work with the public again they should hide in shame.

  • I will never be able to understand what has happened to this small unhappy innocent baby who could not deffence himself. I have no words to say more, only to cry about him and to hope that he rest in peace now!
    I hope all these people who were responsible for that crime to be judged and especially the boyfriend who made this abuse!!!!

  • I completly agree with Emily Jones!!!!

  • IAN JOSEPHS, on this you are absolutely right. They kidnap kids from good, kind loving parents because of a “concern” for neglect. But here in this case they suddenly couldn’t find the “powers” to remove the kid from his murderous parents.

    These SS workers are unimaginably stupid and unspeakably cruel.

    The ones who should be locked up are not the parents but the SS workers.

    The parents can be appointed to become SS workers. Because after all they sound well qualified for the job……

  • If Ed Balls is in the responsible position then the responsibility rests with him and he should accept it.

    Now, will Ed Balls go?

  • rest in peace lttle man xxxxxxx

  • Bring back the deaf (sic) penalty??
    They should be torcherd (sic)??

    So glad I read a Lib Dem website on this, rather than a Tory one.

  • I feel so sick to the stomach what has happened to baby p, he was just a baby he didnt knw wot was right or wrong, how could a mother harm a baby, an it sickens me to think theres more childeren in same boat as we talk bout it . bring back death penalties . RIP baby bless you soul x

  • I cannot believe that this has happened again to a poor defenceless child. The parents and those involved with inflicting those terrible injuries should not be allowed to become parents again. They should all be sterilized if they ever survive their prision sentence. I hope they get exactly what they deserve. May baby P now rest in peace, God love him because nobody else did.

  • I have to say, this story of all round incompetance by professionals is truly outrageous and we should all expect those resposible to be held accountable.

    On another point, that I will be shot down in flames for, the spelling of people on this thread also shows how we are not taking adult literacy seriously enough. If people don’t knoe the difference between “he’s” and “his” or “sole” and “soul”, then we are in a pretty dire state. This is not a reflection on the individuals who have taken time out to type their messages but on how they have been let down by the education system.

  • The way that our authorities behave now no-one would be surprised if poor baby P’s “carers” are sentenced to a hundred hours community service and some therapy. But I say sterilise these beasts and any others like them and lock them away from the rest of us forever. And although death by genital gangrene would be about right why can’t they be taken upon conviction from court to hospital and given irreversible vasectomies and in the female beast’s case, a radical hysterectomy? OK, so call me a fascist, but these monsters have managed to corrupt me by turning this life-long, wishy washy liberal granny who’s always believed love cures all and everyone deserves a second chance into a red-eyed, furious, tooth-baring creature who’d willingly help rip these creatures apart with my bare hands. I look at my beautiful grandchildren, including my son’s beloved step-children, and can’t believe the hatred that pitiful baby P’s killers have sown in my soul.

  • i am truly sickened as to what mother would do such things to her child! she should be sterlised so she can never have any more better still put her in a room full of proper mothers and let them do everything to her what she did to baby p. bring back hanging. as for the social workers in my eyes they are as guilty as her they also played a part in his death.

  • I cannot express how utterly revolted I am by this case. It makes me feel physically sick and repulsed. It results in me having very little faith in the systems put in place to protect poor, innocent, defenceless children and in human nature in general. Many individuals are to blame here from those in authority to the family and friends who did nothing to help. This should not be allowed to happen again. The very thought that this is most probably happening as I type this to some other poor child fills me with horror. The reviews, which have now been put in place, cannot undo this wrong but they must find people accountable and must result in change. Social workers must have more power and procedures must be put in place to maximise consultation between those in authority – surly if communication had flowed between all those involved in the cases the evidence would have been undeniable and action would have had to happen. I am no expert in this field and simply want to put my voice forward to support any change for the better. Thank goodness this little boy is now out of his misery – absolutely heart breaking. Furthermore, the perpetrators of this crime must receive maximum sentences and no leniency should be shown – they should be made examples off regardless of any situation or circumstance.

  • And how can that stupid Shoesmith woman say ‘There is nothing we can do to stop people who are determined to kill children’. Erm THAT’S THE POINT OF YOUR JOB, to take away these children and throw these sick, evil parents into prison.

  • While not wanting to detract from this appalling crime and suffering of baby P – I’m frankly appalled at the glee in which many posters appear to be taking the prospect the perpetrators being tortured and murdered.

    I think most Liberals agree that torture and murder is wrong regardless of whether it involves children or adults. The lack of irony (and literacy) from the majority of posters is frankly worrying.

  • I don’t think these people are LDs, and their names show they’re not regular contributors. It is a bit like the Gurkha thread.

  • natalie buckley 13th Nov '08 - 8:14pm

    i couldnt believed when i read this story,it made me want to cry. im a mother and i love my son, and cant understand how people are so evil, i went to bed last night thinkink about baby p and how this could happen to this innocent little boy, they are evil people and as for the mother she sickens me,as a mother your job is to love and care for your child and protect them, my heart goes out to baby p

  • 60 f*****g visits an not 1 single person noticed a thing what a bunch of over paid idiots and i say over paid because they didnt do anything worth being paid for ie their jobs i would notice if my cat was being abused for goodness sake.

  • DAN, why are you annoyed with the posters on this blog?

    Are you not aware that Britain (if it still exists) is now full of millions of immigrants who’s English – I am sure you will agree – cannot be expected to be perfect?

    So if you are really a Liberal Democrat, show some compassion for immigrants or people with a poor education or some other problem in their upbringing/community/family etc etc etc.

  • I can,t think of him all battered and bruised without crying.Please let the inmates take care of them

  • rebecca fisher 13th Nov '08 - 9:14pm

    Hi Josh, i know the baby was white and blonde, i was just trying to highlight that it doesnt and shouldnt matter about colour or race, no child should ever suffer.Regardless of their background as well they should be given the basic human requirements, respect, love, and secruity, especially from your parents, because lets face it, if your parents cant love or protect you, who can you rely on? that women should not be allowed anywhere near the rest of her children, and i cant believe how little people involved in the case valued that little babys life! I hope that all my input as not offended anyone, but this is how I feel, and I dont say, this news will continue to eat away at me.

  • Yasmin Kelly 13th Nov '08 - 9:30pm

    After two days of constantly shedding tears for this little boy, I am now at the stage when i’m feeling consumed with anger. Why wasn’t he removed from the ‘flea ridden property’ when he had bruises and cuts? Just why? Where was the sense of urgency? Now I can’t help but think about what might have happened had a different doctor examined the paralysed baby, would he now be safe at home with a loving, adoptive family? Or would his sicko parents just get counselling sessions, and would Baby P be thrown straight back into the lion’s den? Rest in peace darling Baby P, they cannot hurt you anymore. Yasmin, 17 years of age.

  • David Allen 13th Nov '08 - 9:30pm

    Dan, Emily,

    Well, I’m a paid-up Lib Dem. I suppose you have a point. It would be wrong for the State to deal with evil by perpetrating evil itself.

    But the people who aren’t Lib Dems, and are posting here, seem to me to be basically very genuine, sincere, and human. This crime has upset them , got under their skins, eaten into their souls. That’s understandable, isn’t it?

    A lot more understandable than watching Brown and Cameron have a political dog-fight over a dead baby!

  • The abuse that this poor baby endured is disgusting!

    Listening to interviews from people who witnessed the abuse or noticed injuries to the wee boy is just sickening. Did the childminder who saw that the baby was bleeding from his ears not think to phone an ambulance and the police? The young girl who witnessed the abuse and chose to go outside for a cigarette to escape the screaming, why did she not intervene or go for help straight away? Did the social services not notice the physical and emotional injuries, as they are trained to do?

    This poor wee boy was failed by so many people, and the really shocking, heartbreaking part is that after putting up with so much pain, in the end he never received any help and died alone.

    Some may think that torturous punishment is too harsh for the three sickos that carried out this appalling abuse but I feel that they should suffer for their terrible crime against a defenceless child. For this case, BRING BACK CAPITAL PUNISHMENT!

  • No one can understand why they did this to the baby. And non of us can decide what will happen to them. It’s a waste of time to get angry here and write they should be tortured and killed…it will hot happen. But something must happen, some justice, something that has not happened before…

  • Hell, am i upset, Not only does the social services tick (f…k) me off for not doing their job, but so do all of you as you speek like baby p was the only one. He had a brother, if none of you noticed. I now live abroad, but try to keep in touch with english news when ever i can. Please, can someone explain to me, how the police can call at 2.50pm and not go in the house, BUT can call at the grandparants, THEN, get a call saying two babies are found stabbed too death. How on earth can any neighbour or social worker that has been invoved, NOT notice when a young mother has problems, surely someone saw or heard something disturbing enough to call the authorities, i know i would, im a mother. This woman,because i can not in my heart call her a mother deserves the worst thing ever. DO NOT put her in a mental institute, that is too good for the likes of her. Lock her in a room full of mothers and children, let her realise what she has done AND LOST. My heart goes out to the family and friends who have lost two beautiful baby boys. God rest their souls.My only consolation is that, those babies are better off now, and are happy ( i am NO religious person), and that the english law system will for once, Not let us down. I read an article, on the internet, where labour was blaming the conservatives for this. (it was in the daily mail i beleive, but dont quote me, as i have read many). How on earth can they OR EVEN THINK of using this as a weapon. (THEY ALL DISCUSSED ME, maybe this is why i am not in england anymore). I love and miss my home, BUT this just shows me that there is something really wrong, and for that i am truely sorry.BUT in cases like this where babies are involved we need someone to bring back the death penalty, i know some of you wont or dont agree with me,BUT i know there are many many more of you that do.
    Thank you for taking the time to read this.

  • Most of the ‘professional’ people that came into contact with Baby P are obviously highly qualified and can justify their position and salaries because of their qualifications.

    When will we learn that ‘theory’ and qualifications are not the be all and end all – particularly when you’re dealing with life and death situations? I’m not talking about qualified medical practitioners, but so called ‘Social Workers’.

    I’m aware that you have to be a very special sort of person to carry out the duties of a competent Social Worker, or Police Officer for that matter. You have to be objective and not allow yourself to get emotionally involved. However, you do have to have compassion and common sense – poor Baby P obviously was not fortunate enough to have come into contact with ‘professional people’ who had those vital qualities.

    Though Baby P suffered a dreadful list of injuries throughout short his life, I’m sure that the list of qualifications, should they be supplied by the inadequate ‘professionals’ that allowed him to suffer and subsequently die, would be far longer.

    When those ‘professionals’ list their ‘achievements’ on their future CV’s, I would imagine that they will fail to mention that they contributed to the death of Baby P.

    Maybe I’m being harsh and some of them won’t be submitting CV’s in the near future. Perhaps they will go on long term sick leave due to ‘stress’ and subsequently draw ill-health pensions for the rest of their lives.

  • Baby P like any baby should have felt and experienced love, fun, warmth and security instead he spent his short and tragic life in pain and discomfort. Instead of home comforts and love what baby P surely felt was loneliness, neglect, torture, the cold, hunger, dehydration and discomfort, one example being made to touch his forehead on the floor by his torturers when they clicked their fingers. There they would keep him in fear of another beating for 30 minutes or more until they next clicked their fingers. All this and much more he went through in isolation with no one there for him or on his side despite being on the case load of Haringey Social Services.

    How Sharon Shoesmith (head of Haringey children’s services) can claim good practises were made in the case of a small boys abuse and subsequent death is beyond be. Then to issue graphs of her department’s performance to the media is cold and heartless. This highlights she has no empathy and should not be in a post where she is responsible for the welfare of vulnerable children.

    In addition to this a Paediatrician who cannot detect a broken back and the many other visible injuries and signs of discomfort displayed by baby P is not a Paediatrician and should be sacked and placed on charges of neglect. All people involved in this case who had the power to stop it should be disciplined. I do however have some small praise for the police who informed Haringey children’s services they recommend baby p not be placed back into care of his mother where he was being neglected and abused.

    Finally, I think all in positions of responsibility who have had involvement in this case, people such as Shoesmith and the paediatrician should take the time to reflect on the ordeal that poor baby had to go through, take the time to imagine him being torture and being set upon by a large viscous dog that left puncher marks in his head, imagine what that must have felt like for a 17 month old boy. Imagine his screams of pain and living in fear everyday, imagine that within a 17 month old boy then tell yourselves you didn’t let him down. I feel the people and politicians in power who have the ability to make change for the benefit of vulnerable children should also take this time out to reflect on this and not to get caught up in party politics and scoring points to further their careers. At least now baby P can suffer no more.

  • rebecca fisher 13th Nov '08 - 11:14pm

    Hi Julie, Baby P is a seperate case to the one that you are speaking of, that involved a 3 month old baby and three year old boy stabbed to death in Greater Manchester.

  • rebecca fisher 13th Nov '08 - 11:23pm

    she should be sacked!!!!!!!!!

  • To Ian Joseph

    Unfortunately you are right about Social Service kidnapping and it’s so so dangerous. It is why juries are not allowed in family courts and parents are threaten with jail if they dare speak out. It nearly happened to a friend of mine. The Social Services snatched her little boy because he was good adoption material but fortunately she got herself a good solicitor and barrister and got her little boy back. He is 20 now and shudders when he realizes what nearly happened to him. But some poor souls cannot afford solicitors and lose their little ones forever. And poor little innocent mites like poor Baby P are left to rot. This is a serious menace and we need to wake up and do something soon.

  • >Some may think that torturous punishment is too harsh for the three sickos

    No, some people believe torture is wrong full stop.
    If you are personally prepared to torture or kill anyone, no matter how vile they may be – what does that make you?

  • rebecca fisher 13th Nov '08 - 11:35pm

    It makes us Human, to want to protect.

  • Absolutly dispicible, social workers wash their hands like they were not to blame, of course they were, they could have saved the baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ive never been so mad at our society, councils tell us what to do yet they cannot even perform the most important job in to taking care and protecting children..sick people, social workers just pretended they didnt see anything..how many more children are safe under the protection of the Haringey council, they need to be sacked!!!!!

  • Saneandrational 14th Nov '08 - 12:01am

    A message to ian josephs

    In the last 12 months, my wife and I adopted children. In their birth home they were neglected to the point where they suffered speech delay and cognitive impairment. They were also physically abused to the point of hospitalisation. They came from a chaotic, filthy, unstable background.

    They have had a horrible start to life, and we have dedicated our lives to giving them the best chance possible. There are thousands more children who do not get adopted, and despite your – I have to say – utterly nonsensical and ignorant rant, the reason they are not adopted is because most social workers see every adoption as a failure, and often wilfully ignore abuse in order to keep children with birth parents, sometimes for years. Which is, once all the smoke has cleared, what happened with baby P.

    Opinions like yours, which accuse social workers of taking away children without just cause, are one of the reasons why they are so dogmatically dedicated to maintaining children in damaging circumstances even after clear evidence of that damage is becoming clear. Simply by spouting your ridiculous, ignorant, rather pathetic views, you contribute to every baby P case. You are complicit in these children’s suffering.

    My experience of social workers is almost uniformly negative. Their inaction, their dogma, their willingness to set aside credulity, all damage children, and I consider many incompetent. Yet you, and those like you, reinforce their incompetence. Next time you find yourself wanting to blame someone for the harm caused to a child who should have been removed to a safe and loving home, look in the mirror. You disgust me, and I cannot say how grateful I am that my children escaped the fate you would have locked them into.

  • I am absolutly thrilled ther are so many adoptive parents and and foster parents on this webpage. I assume you all are as you seem to be judging those who are not. sayin things like take this child away. And where should he have gone? foster parents and adoptive paretns are a finite resource and until there is a drastic increase in numbers, childreni n dager will continually not be able to be removed from thier home as there is no where for them to go. but thank you to all you who are adoptive parents, as i assume you must all be.

  • i feel sick at that i was enjoying every moment with my little girl whilst baby p was being tortured by his mother.if only the people who this little boy needed were there for him then, maybe he would be here today.the evidence of abuse missed or ignored by the social workers involved, puts the good work of truly caring and professional social workers who would of removed baby p at the very first sign of abuse regardless of the “protocol” unmentioned.

  • Ian Joseph states that the baby was not good adoption material because he was not white with blue eyed, in fact he was as the blanked out picture in today’s Sun shows, plus sign their petition to ensure this never happens yet again. Sylvia Henry was implicated in theClimbie case andshould never have continued in her job; she should face misconduct action. I am a civil servant; a colleague was sacked for misconduct for leaving his official phone in his car so why is she still working with vulnerable children after two deaths of children whose cases she was supervising? Incidentally i or any right minded person would have taken Baby P to a place of safety regardless of his colour or condition because he deserved a happy, secure life. This case has been harrowing and upsetting and I am very very angry that this filthy home was considered good enough even without the pieces of him that were missing when he was returned to his abusers for them to have a competition to see who could inflict the most damage on him. That doctor should never treat patients again; is she blind, or stupid? Or just couldn’t be bothered?

  • I do think that Haringey, the NSPCC and society as a whole should be called to account; these evil people should have been caged for child abuse when he was first seen to be injured, why was this not done? If he had been an animal he woulf d have had more protection under the law and they would have been banned form keeping animals. Why is there a crazy assumption that “parents” should keep the child at all costs when clearly they were the last people who should have had him? Children are a precious blessing and no true parent would see their child hurt; this child had fingernails and tips missing and still he was left with them. Are social workers stupid? It really breaks my heart that they were so gullible and stupid. Some people are evil and they lie- do these social workers not know this? Not read papers or see the news? Not wonder how a child suffers horrific injuries? Why he is always smeared witrh chocolate?Also a surveillance by benefits staff would have shown that [people were living there who were not known to be there, likewise the council should have made themselves aware of who was living at their address. Neighbours must have heard him being battered and known people were living there who should not have been. About 50 % of women claiming as lone parents are not- more scrutiny should be used to ensure that the children of these women are in safe hands- if they are already liars and cheats what else could be going on? We live in a fragmented society fuelled by drink, drugs, porn, violent imagery and greed.This is the consequence.
    Please let’s finally stop this. By the way, besides advertising on tv and charging social services to run family centres for them, what does the NSPCC do? They used to have uniformed inspectors like the RSPCA but not any more- why not?

  • Also why is that 15 year old girl who had an encyclopeadic knowledge of his tortures not get help? She has his blood on her hands and will walk away scot free.
    This case will live in my soul forever and I will not sleep easily until the law is changed and we all take responsibility for helping all the countless other Baby Ps. We will never know the true extent of his suffering. He has gone too soon to a better place.Please make it easier for children to be taken to a place of safety and for kind people to adopt or foster them in a loving home- will people please also consider adoption before ivf?I know several lovely people who owe their lives to adoption.

  • Gavin Russell 14th Nov '08 - 5:42am

    Haringay council and especially that clown shoesmith and her partners in crime should be locked up !! Baby p this time how many more in the future ? There is the whole alphabet A to Z available BUT if these clowns are removed from their jobs at least it reduces the risk of other poor wee children using all the letters of the alphabet in the future !! Poor wee lad , At least your pain and anguish is no more, blees you

  • I too like everyone else am sickened by the Baby P case.

    I have just rang Haringey Council this morning and have spoken to this Shoestring person’s p.a. – asking why she still has a job AND ASKING HER TO CALL ME BACK SO I CAN TELL HER EXACTLY WHAT I THINK – I urge others to do the same!! This isn’t right and action needs to be taken NOW!!

  • we could go on forever sayin how sick and discusting this is which i must say i totally agree but what sould happen to these monsters?? the death penalty? To me that is just an easy way out these people will not suffer how they should so no i dont agree with that…. prison?? in prison they will be fed waterd and clothed which is all better treatment than poor poor baby p recived and if they were to eventually get out they would most likley recive a new identity just like maxine car and the james bulger killers so no thats not right it discusts me that what ever happens to these people justice for baby p and every other child that suffers abuse will never come. these people need to be treated like the scum that they are they deserve to be tourted every day for the rest of there lives just as baby p was these people need to live in fear for there lives without being able to speak out just like baby p with the services available to help turning a blind eye just like baby p…. is this going yo happen NO so there we have it these people will never get what they deserve so they are never going to pay for what they have done… and as for the workers involved with this case including the doctor you obviously are not capable of your duties so yes there is no doubt you should be sacked.. and last but not least i read somewere that the doctor used the perthetic excuse that she failed to notice injuries because this kind of thing didnt happen in her country!!! well i cant put into words what i think to that comment…
    baby p my thoughts and prayers are with you god bless your soul and be happy with your angels xxxxxxxx

  • Social Services are ment to help children arnt they… if you ask me the Social Services palyed a part in his deaf. REST IN PEACE LITTLE MAN NO MORE PAIN WERE YOU ARE NOW!!
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  • Like everyone else, I am shocked and disgusted by the story of Baby P’s life and death. I abhorr the bullies who launched such a lengthy and savage attack on a defenceless child, I worry about doctors who fail to diagnose broken backs, and I fail to understand social workers who think this is not their problem. What I would say, though, is that our nation’s children are our collective responsibility. We all have a duty to look out for them, whether they are our own children, grandchildren, nephews, nieces, or whether they are the children of neighbours or our own childrens’ school friends. If more of us had the guts to stand up to the bullies who attack toddlers, and insisted on our voice being heard with the police, the social services and the doctors,
    perhaps fewer children would be forced to live such benighted lives or suffer such horrific deaths.

  • I have cried many tears for Baby P.

    All a child wants is to be loved! The thought of what that poor child went through, possiably not sleeping through fear of what was going to happen next, finally slept forever the night he was killed.

    I can only offer the one solution of an eye for an eye – bring back the death penalty for such crimes and leave this country free of the people who feel they have the right to take the innocent life of a child!

    My heart bleeds for all the children who suffer under the care of their own parents. I blame the mothers, they should know with the instinct a mother is given when she becomes a mum that it is not right to abuse your flesh and blood. Take the child to a police station or Doctors and leave it to be taken into care surely a better option than suffering and death.

  • Amber-Leanne 14th Nov '08 - 11:49am

    i think that wat happened to baby P[deleted] is disgusting!!!!
    i am 15 yrs old and i am already considering whether or not to trust my midwife wen i am at the rite age for kids.

    it had both me and my mum in tears 2 even fink bout wat that poor innocent defenceless child was put thro! as a abuse victim from my dad, i feel that social services shud do more bout kids in dangerous situations. my auntie had her kidstaken off her because she was always taking and picking her kids up late for skl! they lived on the otha side of town to where the nearest skl was!!!!
    she now hasnt seen her kids for almost 6 yrs now!! 2 fink dat dat sweet lil boy cud hav been saved by all those ppl! even the police warned “ss” bout [deleted] behaviour!!

    i jus hope that they suffer in jail just like they made him suffer in his jail, his home!!!!
    R.I.P P[deleted], may god keep u outta harms way!!

    i just wish that the social services and the same hospital learnt their mistakes from the Victoria Climbee murder!!!!

    NB: this comment has been edited to delete names. Stephen Tall, Editor, https://www.libdemvoice.org

  • sleep well little man no more pain xxxx . and four his mother she should be locked up four life

  • I can’t stop looking at the info and pictures on baby P and crying, I have an 8 month old baby boy and i look at his little face and his innocence and it Just makes me cry so much for Baby P, all he wanted is love nothing more and nothing less, how could they hurt him, with him looking back at them in the face with his innocent eyes, He is now in place where no one and nothing can harm him but it is so sad that it had to come to that, it makes me want to quit my job and help babies like this as its effected me in such a big way!!, RIP Baby P, god rest your soul may you now be at peace
    xxxx

  • The poor baby! I am a mother of 2 and 1 on the way! I would never ever hit my children yes I discipline them but they don’t deserve to be hit by a bigger harder person! The social workers and doctors are as much to blame for this poor baby P. If a child has an accident and is taken to hospital to be checked out then a couple of days later a health visitor calls. So why didn’t they see fingertips missing, a ripped ear and Baby p must have been in a lot of pain from the broken bones??? Why wasn’t this baby taken into care, taken to a safe place? This baby would still be alive if the doctor & social workers had done their job! There are many loving couples out there that cant have children! I had fertility treatment for my children! They would give a child love & support! Then there are evil women & men who torture a gift they are given! Take the privilege away! Take away her uterus & ovaries & the men’s testis! That way they never ever have a chance to hurt or kill another child!

    Rest in peace with the other angels Baby P x

  • Darrell, of course you’re right, we Lib Dems cannot condone meeting violence with violence, as some (certainly not all) of the posters on this thread have suggested. I did say that on my earlier post.

    All I was trying to get across was – Yes, a lot of people who don’t normally post here have found this thread. That’s a good thing. We Lib Dems should be prepared to listen. We mustn’t just sneer at people who mis-spell, as one previous poster did.

    Yes, instant “solutions” may be dangerous. But something needs to be changed, and that has to mean people taking personal responsibility for their role in this disaster. That’s a message that our posters have sent to us, loud and clear.

  • nicola fittes 14th Nov '08 - 1:29pm

    sick bastards they are, the social workers and doctors are as much to blame for this aswell, they allowed it to carry on. let the mother and the two men be stoned and tortured to death in public, r i p baby p the angels are with you now.

  • nicola fittes 14th Nov '08 - 1:30pm

    sack the social workers and the doctors, why the hell should we pay our taxes for them now.

  • Rebecca Fisher 14th Nov '08 - 1:43pm

    I dont agree with capital punishment, but I definatly dont agree with beating defensless children even more, because we dont have such severe punishments anymore to fit severe actions, nobody cares anymore, because its all about fines, bail, short prison sentences, which lets face it, prison isnt excatly hard core anymore, that also has become soft, all this human rights stuff protecting them, but correct me if im wrong in saying, but didnt these people fore fit their rights when taking another life? and where are the human rights to protect these children? lost amongst paper work you ll most probably find, the law needs to change, we need stricter guidelines back, we also need to stop the goverment pouring our money into paying smokers to quit smoking, paying over weight parents for walking their children to school and paying for drug users to obtain drugs for their addition in a safe manner, i would much rather see our money being put into stopping this happening now to children and in the future.

  • Rest in Peace Baby P

    Firstly I am so disgusted with those 3 ‘cowards, who ‘tortured’ this poor little ‘defenceless’ little boy for most of his life. I think about the excruciating amounts of pain and fear he must have gone through, while incompetent selfish people, the doctors and social workers just brushed it all off. How ‘DUMB’ do you have to be to not notice all those injuries, missing part of a finger, finger nail pulled off etc etc. I have suffered broken ribs and believe me its painful, to suffer 8 broken ribs and a broken back and then be punched so hard as to have your neck damaged I cannot even imagine!!!!

    Why now are they ‘protecting’ baby P with not realising his name or more importantly the name/pictures of the mother / boyfriend to the public, I do not understand. Justice is not just sending them to prison, it is for them to FEAR and receive the same physical violence /pain they administered to this poor ‘defenceless’ baby. I pray they get constant ‘payback’ in prison and when all 3 eventually get released after the pathetic ‘manslaughter’ charge, they are hunted down!!!

    To that poor boy one foot tall looking up at a 6’4” abuser, would be like for one of us looking up at 24ft brute, can you imagine the fear of this poor boy, let them feel the same and more!!!

    Why oh why does the law protect these type of people!!!!!! It’s the weak punishment which does not deter such crimes in the first instance.

  • Rebecca Fisher 14th Nov '08 - 1:50pm

    I completely agree with you Si

  • so many people have said about others not noticing what was happening to poor baby p. The problem is if you phone the ss and not give your name they do not follow it up, how do we know how many phone calls people made that where ignored. I read that baby p went to a childminder, as a minder myself there is no why i would let that child out of my care and give him back to the parents until something was done. I would get done for kidnap myself if it came to it, but i would feel so guilty and responsible for the death of the poor baby. The whole situation disgusts me. I know it wont happen but i believe that the horrible people should have done to them exactly what they did to him. And apparently she is 3 months pregnant? what a joke.

  • To any police person or lawyer . Does the apparant abject failure of social workers , medical services and others in the case of baby P not deserve investigation with a view to prosecution of those involved on the grounds of CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE . Will the investigation team sent by Ed Balls have the power to make recommendations to the CPS that there is apparantly a prima facia case of negligence by one or more than one of the people involved . TWO children stabbed to death in another case where social services were “aware” of problems THIS APPEARS TO BE SYSTEMIC INCOMPETENCE

  • Dean Bradford 14th Nov '08 - 3:11pm

    Things like this happen, the majority agree that it is an outrage and wrong to treat a child in that way and as such there are agencies such as SS, Doctors, Child Protection Boards and a large network of ‘professionals’ who will often do their very best to provide reports to back up the Local Authority.

    Nothing will bring this child back, it’s too late, accept it, the world isn’t the place we would like it to be and we don’t have control over everyone, that’s a fact.

    A lot of energy is being wasted blaming the authorities, but in reality, just like you, they can’t be everywhere all at once, they’re not perfect and mostly incompetent working in systems that are difficult and inflexible.

    Children belong to their community; they are their parents responsibility and that of the local community. The more we ‘blame’ professionals the more we move our community responsibilities away from ourselves. It’s very easy to blame others – if everyone reading this isn’t guilty of ingoring their own community in some way then I’d be surprised.

    So don’t sit here moaning, be nice to your neighbours, visit them, support them, spend time together and there will be less isolated unsupported parents who end up in such a screwed up mess.

    Social workers do not like to get things wrong but they often do, they don’t have time and can cause far more harm than good, this is why some families hate them, and rightly so, they have been done an injustice because of the pressure to always do the right thing.

    Think about it – do whatever you can yourself – meet the neighbours and do your bit for your own community because ‘professionals’ can not be relied upon; this has been proven time and time again.

  • Its great how so many people are villifying not the murderers but the social workers, when they are yet to have even completed any sort of enquiry, these social workers do an invaluable near impossibly poorly paid job to try and save lives.
    what do any of you do all day to be so pompous.
    for shame.

  • i have a little boy the same age as baby p and it has disgusted me to think his own mother could allow this. to think what that poor child had bin through. the proffesional s who let him down all need sacking. they were the only people who could of helped him and they did not even do that. police social services doctors all these people need lose there responsibiltys. as for his mum and so called step dad they need to be tortured the way they hounded and beat this poor defenseless child.

  • How can this just be ‘just’ manslaugher? If this had been a gangland killing, all involved would be under a murder charge.

    The death of this poor baby was a collective ‘effort’ by the mother and step-dad. How could any solictor defending them think otherwise??

  • i agree, we could blame the ss until we are blue in the face but the fact is that these 3 people are the ones who did this terrible thing to the defencless baby and i hope they burn for it, seemly the mother has had another baby already in prison
    she shouldn’t be allowed to bare anymore children she should be striped of all her ovaries and womb! i don’t think i have ever hated anyone before but the hatred i feel for these 3 people especially the “stepfather” i’d go to jail myself for the damage i’d do to him!

  • This story breaks my heart and makes me feel ill.
    That poor little creature…

  • Heather Collins 14th Nov '08 - 5:50pm

    A fact that has been missed is that the child had a biological father . This would explain why this beautiful child (we now have a full picture)could not be adopted.

    I sincerely hope this isn’t another case of the child being left with the abusing parent while the non-abuser tries frantically to obtain custody while every conceivable obstacle is put in his path by Social services. I have a terrible feeling that there is far more information to come out of this case. Let us hope that that information is not stifled by more injunctions.

  • William McNicoll 14th Nov '08 - 6:14pm

    Justice, Justice, Justice. for BABY P. That means all the people who failed him called to account. Justice demands it. The creature who passed for his mother cannot be human, and her partners in this horrendus crime must pay for ever for this sustained assault on a defenceless infant. As a father and grandfather I am sure I speak for many expressing my horror and disgust at this sorry failure of the established care system. Do not wait for these people to resign but dismiss them at once. How many more of our children must suffer at the hands of evil people such as those. When a child comes on the radar as a possible victim every care must be taken to remove it from harms way at once. Better making a mistake which can be rectified than another BABY P.

  • BRING BACK CAPITAL PUNISHMENT!!!
    THESE PEOPLE ARE COWARDLY ANIMALS AND NEED TO BE WIPED OFF OF THIS EARTH.
    SCUM LIKE THAT DONT DESERVE ANY RIGHTS AT ALL.I WANT TO SEE THEIR FACES,KNOW THEIR NAMES I WANT THEM TO KNOW THAT WHEN THEY GET OUT OF PRISON(HOPEFULLY AS TORMENTED AND TORTURED AS BABY P)THEY WILL HAVE TO LOOK OVER THEIR SHOULDERS EVERY MINUTE OF THE DAY!!!!WE WILL ALL BE WATCHING THEM!!!

  • This moronic mother and her two evil accomplices should not have protected identities. They should be named and shamed. The magnitude of this crime merits capital punishment.

    Unfortunately, all we can hope for is a lengthy sentence and maybe some fellow cons will do us all a favour and administer justice.

    This child should have been removed to a place of safety long before events took place. The authorities failed baby P and they too should pay the ultimate price.

  • Kate Willis 14th Nov '08 - 7:04pm

    Firstly… i want to say i am only 14 and i am guessing that the majority of you are adults. This just proves this story has affected everybody, everywhere, of all ages. It is horrific. I want to say SI i agree with you totally 100%. Every word you have said is true and you have sumed the whole thing up.
    I believe that these 3 vile creatures do not deserve to be able to live the rest of their lifes, even if their lives involve being disasterous.

    Yes i know they will get a prison sentence of life most probably but i lets be serious justice is ridiculous these days. Its make me so enthurated to think that when they say life it only means about 20 years. Life in prison should be forever until they die!!

    This Poor baby has been put through such torture and therefore these 3 disgustingly vicious creature should be tortured back. I use the word creatures because for any human beings to act this way they should not be thought of as people as our equals. And for any religious peopole here, how can go say we are all equal?, how can we be thought of as the same as these people? well we can’t. They are not like us one BIT.

    And i know i am contridicting myself now because i did say they they that should be in prison until they die or just be killed but i believe they should be killed but in the most painful way ever. They should be viciously beaten every day until they are so weak they can’t physically move. I am not going to go into detail because it is not needed.

    Secondly… social services, haha. They are such a joke, call themself people that produce good and help when they are needed, WEL QUITE FRANKLY IT’S A LOAD OF RUBBISH. They can’t even do their job so why should they be getting paid?
    All these questions that can’t be answered because they know they have done wrong. 60 Times the ss had been to see Baby p and are you seriously telling me they didnt notice a thing? Well the truth is yes they did they just chose to ignore it and why was this. Laziness. Yes a letter was sent from a social worker to the MPs explaining the issue that they were aware of but nothing was done so why not try and try again?

    Well all i can say is that this is the most horrific, disgustingly, revoltingly,creul and vile thing that could have happened to this baby.
    This child had a right to live.
    Well all i can say is REST IN PEACE BABY P and god bless you.

  • TO MOUSE,

    I’d appreciate it if this did not turn into personal attacks.

    I’m a very tolerant person but the crime that these cowards committed was sickening, and it proves that there is something seriously wrong with them.

    Capital punishment would ensure that they never get out of prison and will never have the chance to do anything like this again. They tortured and killed a child, and they could do it again.

  • as long as we have councils (local authorities ONLY accountable to themselves and no-one else they will carry on murdering children, as long as they are not their own children!!!
    i am a social worker myself and i tell you we get more than enough pay so it is not about low paid job. is it not time that a revolution was made and people who want to do social work must do it not for only money but because they want to.
    let us be real here. yes these adults/parents are bad but BABY P should never have remained on register list for such a long time. She should have been ‘in care’.
    For the Director to say, “no-one will be suspended!!!! she should go go go.
    Brown should go too. I will never vote him again or his party.
    for experts such as hill and NSPCC who say senior managers (i think they mean Chief Executives), “have a lot to do and cannot possibly keep an eye on every child.” but my lord, that is why they get so highly paid jobs. if they cannot keep an eye on each and every child in their borough, they should not take up their well-paid jobs, they should go go go.
    It is time that we all don’t just moan but act. let us do something. someone tell me what i can do!!!!!!

  • Darrell

    The child was born in jail so that argument is out the window!

    What punishment do you feel would fit the crime? A few years in jail then get out and carry on with normal life again? It’s happened before with previous cases, and it shouldn’t be allowed to happen.

    These cowards would never be able to have a normal life outside anyway. Their crime would always be remembered, as it should be!

  • To be honest, I don’t have the time to wade through all these 101 comments, most of which appear to be variations on the same theme.

    Oddly enough, the point that bothers me most about this case is the anonymity given to two of the three perpetrators. Why has the court agreed to this?

    Convicted criminals who have undergone the public humiliation of all their friends, neighbours and colleagues knowing what they have done will feel justifiably aggrieved.

    And so will future partners.

    Would YOU want to father a child with this woman? I certainly wouldn’t, which is why I’d like to know who she is.

  • BTW, how did these unemployable parasites succeed in obtaining the tenancy of such a large flat? They surely couldn’t have raised the deposit for a private tenancy, or passed a letting agency credit check? If they were HA or LA tenants, how did they climb the waiting list so quickly? Did the lady concerned have the child because she was too lazy to use contraception, or was it a ploy to scrounge state benefits?

    I think the public is entitled to know the answers to such questions, and these will be forthcoming only if they are NAMED.

  • How can the authorities who ignored this problem can live with themselves,they are partly responsible for this poor boy’s fate.
    Time and time again we hear that lessons will be learnt from this sort of mistake yet we are still experiencing something that should never happen in 21st Century Britain.
    God help anyone who complains about social workers through the laughingly named “Independent complaints procedure”

    Social care in this country may be good in occasional cases but is generally very poor.

    Rest in Peace Baby P xxx

  • I am sat watching my 2 year old daughter play with her daddy (the joy of late night tea partys), I’m looking at my daughter and thinking how blessed am I to have helped to create such a wonderful human being who god willing will add/ benefit this world. At the same time I am wondering what kind of monster/animal could do the horrific things that baby P’s mother did??
    I dont want to hear about a poor background (i am one of six, my mother was a single parent and i am mixed race), I dont want to hear about the uneducated or any othe PC rubbish…what we are talking about is one basic natural instinct which is quite simple..a mothers love!! better still a understanding of love.
    I’m sick of living in a country that locks up a bank robber longer than they will lock up a child abuser or granny basher (ask me which i’d choose given the chance, id choose to live next door??!!), a country that no longer seems to care about it’s own…..

  • Oh dear shouty Lorraine – you’re right to be angry about what happened and you’re right to be appalled that people tortured and killed a toddler. But do you not see the contradiction in calling for torture and murder of the perpetrators.

    Torture and murder is either wrong or it isn’t – it can’t be both at the same time.

  • “Everything you say Sesenco suggests to me that the court took the right descision”

    I disagree. Serious offenders should always be named.

    To quote Lord Hewart CJ in R v Sussex Justices ex parte McCarthy [1924] 1 KB 256, 259: “justice should not only be done, but should manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done.”

    Who knows how many people could have assisted the court if the identities of the defendants had been published? How many additional crimes of theirs remain undetected?

    And what if Mr X and Miss Y were innocent? How would anyone be able to publicise their case? Would the Birmingham Six and the Guildford Four ever have been released if there was a court order preventing anyone disclosing their identities?

    Which is more dangerous? Brainless slobs who have children, or secret courts?

    BTW, I am opposed to capital punishment, but I am in favour of depriving people like these two of the ability to have more chidlren.

  • Lesley Heron wrote:

    “The mother herself was a porn addict on the net. The Brute a nazi collector.”

    And where did they get the money to pursue these interests? Not the £60 per week they each scrounged off the state, surely?

    Oh, but we can’t inquire into such matters, because the court has issued a blanket injunction prohibiting anyone from disclosing their identities.

    It isn’t Mr X and Miss Y who are having the black bag pulled over their heads, it is OPEN JUSTICE.

    Darrell, you are wasting your breath. These people are angry and sounding off, and you will never persuade them, however hard you try.

    What we can usefully do on this thread, however, is raise a number of alarming issues. The failure of the system is one of these. Open justice is another. But I have yet to hear people talking about it; and that worries me.

  • IM 14, FROM SOUTH LONDON AND IN CARE
    AND FROM MY EXPERIENCE SOCIAL SERVICES ARE MORE LIKELY TO TAKE THE PEOPLE THAT DONT REALLY NEED TO BE TAKEN IN THAN THE PEOPLE WHO DESPRATLEY NEED TO BE TAKEN IN
    I HAVE FRIST HAND EXPERIENCE IN THAT

  • Darrell, you haven’t read my posts. I have just articulated the most cogent argument there is against capital punishment: that we cannot trust the state to hang the right person. If we move to a system of secret trials where the identity of the defendant is not made public, we may never be in a position to know if the right person has been convicted. The instant case looks to me like the first faltering step on a slippery slope. Yet all you can do is utter the condescending sleight against ordinary people that they cannot be trusted with information. That is an argument deployed by every tyrant in history.

    I would urge those who know the identities of Mr X and Miss Y to do what Paul Foot did to Colonel Hugh Johnston (a secret prosecution witness at the ABC Trial). NAME THEM.

  • It is amazing how much can be done and said after a child dies in terrible circumstances, and how little before? I think Child Protection should be taken away from Social Services and given to a new body attached to the Police. Your average detective in that house for 10 minutes would have had a pretty good idea of what was going on. Social Services, alas, were part of the problem. Your average caring grandmother would have known the difference between a mother who was loving and ensuring no harm came to her child (because that is what mothers are supposed to do) and one who wasn’t. Which then leads to the question why Social Services at all? The Police would have been investigating a crime – because that is what it was. If 3 people abused then tortured and finally murdered me, that is what they would have been tried for and found guilty of. Why should a child under the present system have less rights that I have for justice? Social Services are no doubt well meaning but in these cases worse than useless. Let the Police handle these abuse enquiries and perhaps Baby P would have had better protection.

  • As the week goes on I find myself unable to think of anything else but this child and the others like him who are failed so terribly by every layer of the agencies and departments set up to protect them from harm.

    I can hardly bear to think of his suffering and the utter loneliness he must have felt. He was a little baby, a defenceless child who had bearly learnt to walk before he had his back broken and his beautiful face mutilated.

    I feel such overwhelming anger and such helplessness to affect real change to save others like him. I have written to my MP and Government ministers, I have signed every petition I can find and written numerous comments on sites like these but what good will it do?

    All we can do is keep making a noise about this case. Don’t let it be forgotten or brushed aside. Keep lobbying everyone with influence until something is done.

  • Gah… :((( I’m just saddened ya know? Just saddened that one little boy that should have had the chance to live just didn’t get it. He’s become yet another stat in our mess of a so civil society. This really shouldn’t have happened, it really shouldn’t.

    I think i’ve read one too many of these sorry stories now…

    Grrrrrrrr…. is the only thing on my mind.

    Helpless, my hands are tied, nothing i can do. Only be sad about the whole sorry state of affairs… i just don’t get it. :((

  • Mark Pack wrote: “judging from the media reports, Baby P has at least one brother or sister. I guess that’d be why the court order for secrecy has been made.”

    Robert Thompson and Jon Venables had siblings, Rosemary West had children (mostly fathered by clients), etc, etc, etc. Yet these killers’ names were made public.

    Open justice matters rather more than the feelings of a handful of individuals, I would respectfully suggest.

  • I dont want my taxes to pay for these people’s existence in jail. That’s why I would like to see baby P’s 3 killers obliterated from this planet. Execute them, i don’t think death’s too good for them – torturing them might be sweet revenge but Darrell’s right – torture is morally wrong no matter who receives it. The best thing to do is get rid of them for good.

  • I keep having to turn off the radio or tv when the details of baby p come on as I cannot bear to listen to what that little boy had to endure. It fills me with complete terror what that baby had suffered and as a human being how anyone can do that to a defenceless child, I find myself crying through sheer helplessness for his plight.

    In the media everyone is blaming the authorities, and YES they had a huge part to play in Baby P’s fate and I feel that Social Workers and other authorities were too complacent and the government MUST review what is going on to examine how robust the procedures are in relation to all the agencies…. where were the health visitors, social workers and other agencies???? why was this child left when so many alarm bells were raised???? Children are not numbers or cases to process – they are real lives that need individual consideration and not matter what the bureaucratic cost!

    I know as a mother and as a normal human being that there are gut instincts about situations when you come into contact with them and it ASTOUNDS me that not one of the professionals considered that this baby was at extreme risk, ALL of the authorities that had contact with that child should be examined. Also in my view EVERYONE who had contact with that baby should hang their heads in shame, whether it was other family members, ‘friends’, neighbours or even people who may have any other contact with baby P at the local shop and thought that something wasn’t right are to blame. As a society we are to quick to say it is nothing to do with us…but we all have a responsibility to raise any concerns we have…. WE CANNOT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN TO ANOTHER CHILD. As a mother I can’t comprehend the wickedness of these so called ‘adults’….rest in peace and god bless his little soul.

    And to hang with our ‘PC’ culture – I hope those responsible endure what is left of their miserable lives and forever after as torment and misery.

  • IT did not surprise me in the slightest that these obscene people did next to nothing work wise, probably claiming benefits off the state no doubt. Also, did the social services people not question why they had a dangerous dog ie Rottweiler with a young child? We have seen the end result of those cases before.. These people make me sick. I hope that they will be treated horribly in prison and can never be allowed in the same room as another child. These people should be steralised. But I am sorry I do not want MY taxes being spent on these people. Bring back Capital punishment for these sick people, we have the technology these days to prove cases, even if too late, but justice can be done. The Bible said “eye for an eye tooth for tooth” so karma says if one takes a life, one should be punished.That way, justice is done and our taxes are not spent on sick people and can be spent on worthwhile cases and charities for children who need it. RIP BABY P. X

  • Tracy Fairbrother 14th Nov '08 - 11:44pm

    Jonathon Ross and Russell Brand get 30,ooo complaints, eh? Well in the light of this tragedy their gaffe seems a bit daft. I am sorry but I have never felt strongly enough about anything to write in before. When will we admit that our social services is now in the hands of girls with no experience? When will we admit that our social services system is completely useless? Haringey council apologises unreservedly do they? And then we have a mother in Manchester who stabs her two babies! The whole problem is endemic across the social service system, obviously. I’m sorry but different systems and different people need to be put in place very quickly!

  • Vile Scum. I’ve been reading tomorrow’s newspaper headlines and one actually claimed Baby P’s so called mother (the devil in my opinion) claimed that she would be home for Christmas! What an inbred disgusting remorseless cow.

    My best friend is a social worker and if this ever happened under her jurisdiction i’m sure she would hang her head in shame and leave the profession completely.

  • Hi Lesley, well in practical terms I do not want to pay for these people to live so I’d want them dead for that reason. Also, they are a danger to society, and there is always the risk of them doing this again if they get let out early on good behaviour (or after a stupidly short sentence- we all know ‘life’ doesn’t mean life in this country) Unfortunately I don’t think praying’s going to do much good either – how will people this sick and twisted ever become ‘enlightened’ do you think? Are you suggesting spending more of our funds rehabilitating them? Sorry – don’t want to pay for that either. These people aren’t worth the time of day. Get rid of them. (Ashes to ashes, so they wont end up anywhere..)

  • Enough is enough how many more children have to die.. who is going to be man enough to bring back the death penalty or give US the public the vote to bring it back..when these people go to jail they will still have there human rights well what about poor Baby Ps human rights shame he didnt live to have them………. R.I.P baby P God Bless xx

  • shahid riaz babar 15th Nov '08 - 12:09am

    ALLAH the most merciful ,baby p i love you as for me you are an angel who is hurt by evil and i promise you my little soul ALLAH give me chance so i take a flesh bit by bit from their bodies who hurt you and dont let them die as each day i punish so they be in hell of pain till they live if i got the power i show you my angel how to bring justice not this system of U.K as my ALLAH say if some one kill than justice is to kill back ALLAH be with you rest your soul in peace AMEEN

  • Sorry there’s a lot of nonsense being written here – firstly you don’t have to be a parent to feel anger and anguish at the poor soul’s treatment. And secondly there are a number of parents on here (myself included) who don’t wish torture or death on anyone (adult or child) – so please don’t try and make this an argument about not understanding parental reaction – we do, but we disagree with torture and killing full stop.

  • WHY ???

  • Alix Mortimer 15th Nov '08 - 1:06am

    Nathalie

    Because society would destroy itself if we had execution without legal process. This is why we have law. If we could just lop off a limb or kill people to redress a wrong, without a legal process, we wouldn’t have a society. We would have a perpetual war.

    Or to put it another way, if you have a system where people can be executed without a legal process, that means that someone some day may use that very power to execute YOU without a legal process.

    You might think, “They wouldn’t, I haven’t done anything wrong.” But you’re depending on the current legal system to define what is “wrong”. How do you know what you might get implicated in? How do you know what innocent activity of yours may end up being made a crime? And how do you know mistakes wouldn’t be made? Remember that story about the lynch mob who went after a paediatrician because they thought that meant the same thing as “paedophile”?

    Basically, the death penalty is wrong because it’s irrevocable. You can’t undo it. And if the state ever uses it unwisely against someone, then that’s that. That’s why we can’t use it, ever, because what applies to one must apply to all.

  • the mother of baby p shud be sterilised or at least if she has any other kids they shud b taken off her str8 away by social services it disgusts me as a mother myself of an 8 month old if that i did anythin 2 harm my baby social services would b str8 on 2 me as 4 baby ps mother and stepdad nothin happened about it is ttly distraceful for wot that poor baby had 2 suffer for i hope the stepdad and the other person rots in hel and does not get out as for the mother i hope wot she gets cumming to her she shud rot in hel and as for doctors that is wot they trained for isnt it looking after people clearly not!!

  • I have read all the comments on this thread and it’s very disappointing that there is this running argument going on about the death penalty. Particularly from Darrell, who has set himself up as some sort of moral guardian of the rest of us. I am undecided about the death penalty, but even if I was strongly against it, I would find it easy to realise that those who are calling for it are responding to a very natural human emotion for revenge, and an outpouring of grief at the lack of care extended to Baby P which makes people want someone to pay for this. In times such as this there will always be people being emotional, and maybe even saying things they don’t mean because they are so angry and upset. The people who have not managed to show any such emotions so far are the so-called mother and boyfriend, and the social workers who seem more intent on watching their backs and keeping their overpaid jobs. So Darrell, don’t castigate people for being emotional and upset, it’s human.
    Angela

  • We do not want the death penalty. As a society we are far more advanced than that.

    As for Ian Josephs comments about the ethnicity of the child – how totally and utterly ignorant.

  • Crmen Semanski wrote:

    “I am positive this mother was very weak and vulnerable in need of attention by SS.”

    Unfortunately, it is unlikely that we will ever be able to arrive at an informed judgment as to this woman’s character, motivations and mental state, because the court has decided to keep her identity secret.

    This is the second secret trial for a serious crime I can recall this year. The first was the trial of a Chinese man accused of murdering an elderly writer in Hampstead. In that case, the trial was held in camera because the government claimed that state secrets might be revealed. At least the jury had the good sense to refuse to reach a verdict.

    I fear we are heading down the slippery road to Guantanamo justice in this country, and Darrell (apparently) welcomes it.

  • To all those who would love to but can’t make the march, PLS JOIN

    http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=39559041804&ref=mf

    we will be releasing BLUE BALLOONS AT 12.20 (TIME BABY P DIED) OUTSIDE 10 DOWNING STREET ON 3RD DECEMBER

    for everyone who can’t be there. just post them, with your message to

    ANGELICA TERZOLI
    C/O BARON ESTATES
    65 WEYMOUTH STREET
    LONDON W1G 8NU

    there is a group for a demonstration outside downing street..

    DEMONSTRATION OUTSIDE 10 DOWNING ST ON 3RD DEC 2008

    (16 months after beautiful Baby P died)

    AT 11.35 (time ambulance came)

    UNTIL 12.20 PM (time Baby P pronounced dead)

    THANK YOU

  • Nigel Chapman 15th Nov '08 - 1:27pm

    What a load of worthless rubbish these MPs talk about; they have the power to change the law but chose to do nothing. The bottom line is they don’t have the guts or the back bone to rid our society of this scum. Who I might add is now protected by the human rights bill! What about the human rights of baby p! Get real you idiots.
    The lot of them have blood on their hands so don’t have any choice but to accept responsibility for the cruel murder of this innocent child. You people are so out of touch with what the vast majority of the uk really wants.
    It would be nice to think the working people of this country could force these spineless MPs to bring back the death sentence by having a general strike. To starve the government of the taxes they unlawfully take from the generally decent and law abiding people then squander it on pointless things to lengthy to mention. The cost of keeping this scum in prison springs to mind and then when they eventually get released. Because we all know we will continue to support this kind of scum until the day they die. So why not just bring their death forward so they don’t have the opportunity to bring another innocent life into this world.
    The British National Party is gathering more support than ever, Have you ever thought why. Do something now before its to late to reverse this trend.
    I would welcome any feed back, but please don’t comment on my poor grammer.

  • Nigel Chapman 15th Nov '08 - 2:01pm

    Well said Elena, but which ones!
    As for you Darrell you know exactly what I’m talking about. MPs are in a position to make the law and change it when it doesn’t work. What more do I need to say.
    Yes I am having a dig at the human rights law and why not. To my reckoning the law should be there to protect the victims of crime not this kind of evil scum who commit it. As far as I am concerned they should have lost that right when ceased to become human.
    However, back to the issue why doesn’t the government have a referendum on the subject of capital punishment for this kind of crime? I think the results would be quite interesting, then we would really find out if we live in a democracy or not.

  • This story has braugt me to tears i dont understand how any one could get away with murder just because a Jury could not agree who participated in the injuries. Well i am affraid either they participated or watched so in my eyes they all should have been convicted of murder. I work with children we have a few kids who are fragile and you can spot them right away. So for doctors and nurses not being able to spot that baby P was being abused is beyond me. Chocloat to cover up his bruses what was the nurse or doctor blind. I am so shocked at this Story really i am cant beilieve that no one could spot or do they research to actually acknowledge this child was on the child protection register What a mess our system is in and from this story and the shocking results. You all now realise its time to do something about it.

  • sheila jenkins 15th Nov '08 - 5:25pm

    Further to the comment made by Ian Josephs about baby P not being good adoption material, how ridiculous when you can see from the pictures this baby did have blonde hair and blue eyes.

  • Does the culture of inmates making child batterers suffer in prison still exist ? Sure hope so !

  • sharron marson 15th Nov '08 - 6:03pm

    that poor little boy. I think life for a life thay should never be alound out. thay should be named and shamed r.i.p baby p.

  • My heart breaks for that poor little baby. Can you imagine what the poor helpless child had to endure in his short life and what agony he must have gone through before he died. To be left all ALONE in his filthy blood stained cot, in terrible, agonising pain, properly crying in the hope that someone would come and help him. His cries properly changed to whimpers as he lay there and he realised that no-one be comning to help him and eventually he died from his injuries. He was only 17 months old!! Can any of us ever come close to imagining what that sweet innocent little boy went through before he died? How could NO-ONE see what was happening to him?? Wake up people!!

  • This case is clearly a tragic one, and serious lessons do need to be learnt. However i do think the social workers in this case did try to their best, by visiting as often as they can. It is not the social workers who decide wheather or not a child comes into Local Authority care, it is senior management. Baby P died of physical injuries, however most likely the child also suffered from emotional abuse and neglect, all abuse is concerning.

    The law does need to change and the Human Rights Act 1998 is being exploited, as peadophiles and abusers use this act to defend their cases.

    Social workers can not win, as they are critised for removing children into care, and critised when they don’t take children into care…

  • I feel sick every time i think of that poor little baby, bring back hanging for people like this

  • I am a mother of 2 boys, 2 years old and 7 months old. When i read about baby P I turned and looked at my two boys and thought how could anyone have ever EVER done that to a small innocent and helpless child. I still cannot get this un-imaginable torture out of my mind and I still cannot get my head round this whole horrific thing, his parents should be tortured the same way he was and then hung, as for the health professonal that missed a baby with a broken back and broken ribs crying out in agony she is no better than the SS and should be locked away for the rest of her life. As for the SS could there be a more useless waste of space. The state of the living conditions should have been enough to trigger alarm bells, and did they not question why the baby was always covered in chocolate I mean come on how many kids do you know that are constantly covered in food? I dont know of any. All these families that have been split up over the most trivial of things, I feel sorry for them they cared enough to fight to get their children back but of course as always the SS must be right so therefore they win the battle, where were they for baby P!! Its absolutely disgusting, i should hope you feel exactly what you are USELESS FAILURES!! If it was down to me i think everyone involved in this case who failed to rescue this poor little boy should be locked up under the charge of accessories to murder. Rest in peace you poor little man at least you are safe at last. I just wish it could have been you were alive and safe!

  • I’m not going to be part of this political debate.

    I just wanted to say
    Rest In Peace Baby P
    you’ll be safe now

    I may only be sixteen, but I love children and if I ever lost my sister, I couldn’t go on

    so my prayers are with the members of his family who loved him
    xxxx

  • Matthew Huntbach 15th Nov '08 - 11:20pm

    I wonder how many of the people here screaming abuse have actually worked in child protection? Try being in the shoes of those who actually have to walk in and make judgments on things like this before making judgments yourself on these people. It’s intensive pressurised and emotionally draining work, and you are going to get things wrong sometimes. It seems to be that one day we have the tabloid press screaming abuse at social workers saying they are too ready to take children away from their parents, next day the tabloid press is screaming abuse at social workers saying they don’t take enough children away from their parents. In this case I read even the real father of the boy didn’t know what was happening, so are we all quite so sure if we were in that situation we’d have got it right?

    Also, next time you moan about council tax being too high, remember it pays for things like this. Perhaps the biggest thing that alarmed me during the time I was a councillor was the relentless rise in spending due to “problem children”. It was always every year massively more than inflation. Yet we have stupid national politicians who seem to think the answer to any hole in the budget is to call on local government to “become more efficient”. The result of this IS social workers left depressed an unable to cope because they just have too high a workload.

    I’m afraid so long as people are free to live with whom they like, have sex with whom they like, and bring up their children how they wish, things like this WILL happen. Do we want a rigidly authoritarian society where the state would always intervene to stop it? Do we want to go back to the days when sex and babies were something strictly for married couples and marriage was seen as a lifetime commitment which you would enter into only when you were secure enough to be able to cope?

    In the old days, a girl like this who had a baby out of wedlock would have had the baby taken from her at birth, and she would have been locked up in an institution. If this is what you want, people, say it.

  • Since the news of baby P’s sad demise broke last week two toddlers have been stabbed in Manchester. The NSPCC report that on average 47 under threes are killed by their immediate family each year in the UK – basically one a week,

    Hundreds of toddlers are dieing every hour in the Congo and across our planet millions of children die each year through abuse/lack of food/war/because of their sex or because they have a sibling. For a large number of the planet’s under fives life is nasty, brutish and short.

    I’d hope if any good comes out of this tragic case its that we all do more to protect and enhance life in all its awkward and difficult forms, rather than simply allow base emotions to make a bad situation worse by calling for even more torture and death.

  • Lesley Heron said:

    “Those against torture.
    Think again if it was your child that was hurt so badly or if he/she was abused by a paedo.
    I am sure your opinion would change then about torture.”

    OK Lesley, I do see your point. If it was my child, I would feel distraught, furious, and probably murderous.

    But the question we have to answer in politics – because that’s what we’re all getting involved in on this website – is a different one. It’s not about what an individual might feel. The question we have to answer is “Should the British Government torture convicted child killers?”

    My answer as a Liberal Democrat is no, never. Here are some reasons:

    First, yes, some murderers are evil. But others are mad, others are just completely unable to cope with life, others are dominated by powerful partners, and, a few of the people who get convicted of any crime are in fact innocent. Would you have them all tortured?

    Next – how would you feel if we had someone employed and paid to be the official British torturer? What sort of person do you think would apply for a job like that? Would you want them as your neighbour? Would you feel comfortable living in a state where the government could use torture when it wanted to?

    In the old days, Britain did use many violent punishments, such as hanging thieves. There was more violent crime in those days. The State had no proper respect for human life in the bad old days. Nor did many of its subjects.

    State violence doesn’t prevent individual people being violent. It can only cause more violence and inhumanity.

  • I think it is hilarious, all you do gooders “you should not condone death whether it be an adult or a child” one thing your all missing is the experience, you were never abused as a child, and whats more important you never DIED at the hands of pure hatred! You would have had a smacking every now and then for doing something wrong while you were growing up, who hasnt (i got the belt, and im sure alot of you did, and extended out even to a shoe, a wooden spoon or a hose) Why should we keep these creatures alive? What value does their life add to our society? They devalue the life of a voiceless defenseless child, and you want to give them a voice and there rights?! Im sorry but their “rights” went out long ago, with that fatal blow to the head, their “rights” went out long ago when they cracked that childs spine over their knee, their “rights” went out long ago when chocolate was used to cover up the disgustingly horrific torture they made that little baby boy endure, ensuring he had no chance for a life or a future in this world!
    What I find more disgusting than the healt care officials and even the sick twisted poor excuse for human beings, is the people who “avoid reading things liek these” and the people who think that death penatly wont solve anything. No your right death penatly wont solve a god damn thing, but it sure as hell will ensure that particular person never has a chance at harming anyone of Gods creatures again. I dont know about you but im not particularly fond of my tax dollars paying for the scum of the earth to live, when you can just see their value in life, when they can think itis okay to torture and kill a beautiful defenseless little boy.
    And to all you people who avoid these types of stroies, I think your just as bad as the health care professionsals, avoiding the reality that bad things happen in the world and taking the affirmative action to do something about it.
    Human kind disgusts me as of late, we are more concered about the rights of the criminal than the victim! We wait for something bad to happen then apologise for our incompetence and unwillingness to help out our fellow man.
    I cant help but think of those last few months that little boy lived, what life that was. The only people he would have ever known were the people who were killing him.
    I still dont understand how those evil things could torture that gorgeous little boy, looking up at them throughhis beautiful blue eyes with tears streaming down, face covered in bruises, paralysed on the floor! crying out for it to stop.
    I dont know what it would be like to regret being born or to want to die as a 17month old child, but I’m sure thats what that little boy thought every day for the short life he did live
    I will never what that feels like, and I dont think any child or person for that matter ever should.
    As a collective, we should all be disgusted in ourselves to have aloud something as horrific as this to happen and continue to happen.

  • Cassandra – I think its you who need to get a grip. Attacking so-called ‘do-gooders’ is both trite and wrong.

    What this country is crying out for is more do-gooders – the sort of people who check up on their neighbours, volunteer to help them in difficult times and if necessary tell the authorities when things start to go wrong.

    The problem is we have allowed our neighbourly functions to be nationalised by both local and central government – us neighbours won’t interfere because we think that there is someone in authority who is doing our job.

    Baby P should not have died or been tortured, but unfortunately he’s not alone in this country or the world – and we shouldn’t launch witch hunts against public authorities until we’re confindent we’ll look in on our neighbours and take action when we think somethings amiss. And I don’t mean signing up to on-line or tabloid petitions.

    Oh and torture and killing is wrong regardless whether the victim has done something nasty…

  • i here that these 3 Baby Killers still have friends that stand by them!!! Who are these freinds??? they need a good seeing to as well!!!!

  • FromParisWithHorror 16th Nov '08 - 7:22am

    The British definitely have a very singular and peculiar way of caring for their youngsters. I was always told that mothers tend to overprotect their weakest offspring. Obviously, this rule does not apply in the UK. As long as Old Lizzy the Second is healthy, who would care about some insignificant poor kid?
    Shameful, indeed.

  • Dan, I think it is you that needs to get a grip. Cassandra never said anything against checking up on neighbours. She was talking about do-gooders protecting the criminal and not caring about the victim, and quite frankly we are all sick of it. So what would you do with Baby P’s torturers? Hold their hands and give them sweet words of comfort, no doubt. People like you make me sick.

    Excellent post, Cassandra. well done.

  • Unquestioned Answers 16th Nov '08 - 9:21am

    I know this might sound daft and many will disagree, but I cannot help but question why our society would rather pass blame around, either to social workers, MPs, and medical professionals and police rather than facing one simple, horrible fact.

    It was the boy’s mother, boyfriend and lodger who subjected that small boy to endless torture, not social workers, not the police or medical professionals. I doubt any would even consider doing such things to a young child, that is why such cases are so difficult to handle and to spot, I struggle to comprehend it myself.

    Moreover, if the mother is being devious about the abuse and covering it up, social workers and other professionals have a harder time trying to discern if she is genuinely deranged (which I think she is) or actually a good person in a bad circumstance. Most people in this country want to believe the best in others. I don’t know how I could handle such a case – I don’t envy those social workers having to make such tough choices.

    Yes, questions NEED to be asked, and some of those questions SHOULD be directed at social workers, health professionals, and others who failed to spot the signs of neglect and abuse. Some of these questions should be uncomfortable ones. Most of them should be in the vein of ‘lets not allow this to happen again’.

    Blaming and shaming health professionals and social workers will not bring children like Baby P back, nor protect children like them from their awful parents/guardians.

  • shahid riaz babar 16th Nov '08 - 9:31am

    DEAR LESLEY HERON as i let you know the exact place where its taken and for the information in SAUDI ARABIA is in the whole world crime rate is lowest because of the islamic law of justice as life is for life and death is for death unless you forgive them ALLAH allow you to take revenge because if you dont than the evil be more stronger so cut him in pieces no put in jail for 10 year and than he back again same here the LITTLE ANGEL BABY P suffer from torture which a human never think of what i do in this is never let them die burn a fire under them as put them on so much heat them their flest start melting but dont let them die as each day they be in hell of pain are you agree to me and second i will do this in public as all are invited to see this hell and i promise you 100% after watching this it be example for only that if anyone do this be like this i wait for your comment as hope you agree to me shahid

  • shahid riaz babar 16th Nov '08 - 9:34am

    whole world the country where crime rate is lowest as i put fire under them untill their flest start melthinf and they be in pain of hell and all public can come to see this so no one again dare to do this are you agree rather than just putting behind bar for 10 years and feed them is this fair

  • shahid riaz babar 16th Nov '08 - 9:39am

    DEAR LESLEY ITS FOR YOUR KNOWLEDGE Take verse 38 in Sura 5 of the Qu’ran. ‘As to the thief, male or female, cut off his or her hands: a punishment by way of example from God, for their crime: a nd God is exalted in power’. There are other barbaric punishments :- Chapter 42:2-4 lays down that fornication is to be punished by 100 lashes.

    Verse 45 in Chapter 5 reads as follows ‘We ordained therein for them: “Life for life, eye for eye, nose or nose, ear for ear, tooth for tooth, and wounds equal for equal.” But if any one remits the retaliation by way of charity, it is an ac t of atonement for himself. And if any fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are (No better than) wrong-doers.

    Eye of an eye and life for life is primitive retribution. It is interesting that it is considered good not to carry out the retaliation that God says he himself ordained. Surely if God ordained it, God must think it is good to carry it out.

  • Who is going to have to guts to NAME the two child killers?

    In this so-called “free” country, anyone who does so is likely to go to prison.

    See who is being protected here? Not children, not the public, but the CRIMINALS.

    The only people who are allowed to defy the court injunction are Members of Parliament. A job for Norman Baker?

  • nicola fittes 16th Nov '08 - 10:24am

    to the person who doesnt agree with capital punishment is saying that they will pay taxes to keep them alive in prison…… life for a life.

  • nicola fittes 16th Nov '08 - 10:28am

    cassandra im with you in what u have said

  • Alix Mortimer 16th Nov '08 - 10:51am

    Nicola – ok, that’s a good point. But on the other hand, my taxes pay for a lot of things I don’t particularly like, or see the value in.

    I guess the question I ask myself is – am I prepared to pay taxes which mean my society doesn’t have the power to kill me? The answer is yes, I am, even if it also happens to mean supporting the life of someone I might personally find loathsome.

  • (1) Capital punishment.

    Those who favour it presumably don’t object if innocent people are executed by mistake. Roger Scruton is honest enough to admit as much. Are the hangers on this thread so candid?

    (2) Social workers.

    I don’t have much experience of social work, but those social workers I have met and have worked with (albeit briefly) strike me as relatively competent and with it. I can’t say the same for social work managers, however, who have often proved to be domineering, manipulative bullies (witness the numerous inspection reports).

    There may be few bad social workers, but there are surely plenty of terrible social work managers.

    (3) Open justice.

    Contributors to this thread are so overcome with rage that they cannot see how the system is selling them short. No-one thus far has posited a justifiable reason for the draconian anonymity order. Why is this? Might it possibly be because there isn’t one? Why are these killers being protected by the court? Are they related to members of the Royal Family, a billionaire, or a senior Freemason? Probably not. But we cannot know one way or the other until someone NAMES THEM. (Will anyone in Scotland or Ireland help here?)

  • Alix Mortimer 16th Nov '08 - 11:01am

    Guys,

    I’ve noticed that a lot of people on this thread have talked about feeling powerless (Nigel Chapman, Rita, Spike, probably others). And I think Lesley’s right in saying this is probably where a lot of the angry talk comes from.

    But you’re not powerless. I’ve written a new post that suggests some actions you could take to prevent this ever happening to another child. We can all talk all we like – but only action is going to make any difference.

    Please read it:
    https://www.libdemvoice.org/after-baby-p-what-can-be-done-5931.html

    Thanks

  • woah woah woah excuse me there mr!
    how dare you assume such nonsense, which is completley free of any truth!
    I never once said innocent people should die, but this poor excuse of a human being ADMITTED to commiting these dispicable acts, showing absoloutley no remorse for it!
    her own flash and blood! what would you do if your wife did this to your child?
    or your mum did this to your brother?
    like think of these things as if it was personally happening to you before you say what is right or wrong in punishment for the accused.
    because im teling you now there is not a person here who would say they wouldnt want the death penalty for that creature if they put themselves in the same position if you honestly stepped back and thought about it.
    But that childs only support network were the killers! he has no voice and no family to honour him in his tragic passing.
    but never the less every case is different and cant be judged the same way, but this one is clear cut! there should absoloutley be no question about this.

  • I am outraged at what happened to this little lad and I wish someone somewhere had taken him from that evil pair of sub-humans, but I’m alarmed at the lack of language skills displayed in the comments section of each news story, too. These days, when there are so many sub-cultures and different languages spoken in this country, we need English more than ever to avoid potential misunderstandings. Also, when discussing important issues it helps if you have more than a primary-school grasp of grammar and spelling. :o)

  • To Abigail, I didn’t know one needed a degree in English Lit to post on a message board. Does that include mobile text messaging too? Sorry! Should I have said, “literature”?

  • I read and listen to the reports of baby p with disgust and dispair.To call these people animals would be unjust to animals,would they treat their young this way?There would be no punishment suitable for these people,but capital punishment should be brought back.I’m sure the do gooders of this world would have something to say about this.To think you need a licence to have a t.v. but any low life can have a child.What has happened to human nature?How can anyone take pleasure in harming a poor defenceless baby for goodness sake!

  • Lesley Heron wrote:

    “In a country where we have free speech,”

    Not in this one we don’t. Anyone who names these two child-killers, Mr X and Miss Y, is likely to be sent to prison.

  • Roger Evans 16th Nov '08 - 1:53pm

    since labour came to power in 1997 nobody in charge will take the blame for anything what happened to the buck stops here!Why do we pay someone £100.00 per year if they are not ultimatly responsible for their department?The head of the department should be sacked but she won`t Because no one in goverment has ever done this.

  • Just take a few minutes when you do your christmas cards to send one to the leader of harringey council, the prime minister and your local MP signed from Baby P, with your own personal message so he is not forgotten like Victoria was, and do this every year so they don’t forget why they sit back with their big pay packets and life of luxury, unlike what Baby P had, aswell as Victoria. We know this won’t be the last, so just spare a thought at christmas for these two lovely people

    P.S. Please mention this at the end of your correspondence to other people so every year they will not be forgotten and brushed to one side

    Keep to the point, don’t go astray like alot of you already have done with silly things such as spelling and grammar, remember what this is about, Baby P and Victoria

  • Hello Mary Jo
    No, I aint got no degree in Inglish litritur! You don’t need a degree to be able to express yourself, just a bit of education and a bit of care.
    Toodle-oo!

  • mrs p van breemen 16th Nov '08 - 5:00pm

    I also cannot get little baby P out of my mind and feel physically sick when I think what they put him through. I have a little grandson similar age and like many of you cannot imagine what the poor little boy went through. He was with monsters to “care” for him and the only people who could help him were the social services or the doctors and they let him down, plain and simple, no excuses full stop. If they are human they will never be able to sleep again at night for the rest of their lives, but I doubt that, always excuses and passing the buck. They should also get life imprisonment.

    The Government should make an exception when it comes to the rules of sentencing and let the Judge give these three monsters life, mneaning life until they die. Forget the 14 yr. maximum rule! Also, where were the grandparents, the natural father, relatives, not to notice what was going on? Nothing though can bring him back now, all too late.

    We are all outraged and my heart goes out to the poor darling little boy, as somebody else said, sorry that nobody helped you, there would have been so many of us who would have done if we had known! Rest in peace little angel and if there is another life for you, may it be a happy caring loving one, I hope so sincerely. I will pray for you tonight and every night and wish this had never happened to you. Poor little darling – you did not deserve to be born into that “family”.

  • I would just like to point out to some of the comments left here about Social Workers and Child Protection. Reams of Legislation was bought in after the Soham murders. Outside of the home people who have access to children in their care (i.e. a School) have to be (under the Legislation) vetted and rightly so. Emotional abuse, in the long term, is just as destructive as physical abuse, although it may not kill you physically. How many sexually abused children have gone on and committed suicide in later life? However, I would suggest that in cases like Baby P, they are subjected to both forms of abuse, the one leading to the other as this case has indicated. The emotional abuse would have been a precursor to the next blow. The Director of S.S. says that if someone wants to kill someone there is little one can do! Well, this maybe true of a gunman walking down Hungerford High Street, or a studen shooting dead 20 other students, but it was the wrong argument for this case. In Child Protection, “the safety, welfare, well-being of the Child is paramount” and under the Legislation this includes neglect, emotional abuse, sexual and physical abuse. The Legislation is very clear. The S.S failed to uphold this and one now learns that this mother’s daughter was also abused. The decisions not made begger belief. I go back to asking that these cases come under a Police body who investigate – in the same way you investigate any crime. The child’s welfare should come under just one body, and not confused, muddied, by different organisations who may or may not talk to each other. CJ

  • i think there identity should be reveled so we can wait for them to come out so the british public can torture them

  • shahid riaz babar 16th Nov '08 - 6:31pm

    Dear LESLEY as life is only given by GOD and baby p is also an angel who suffer and i assure you he be in heaven now why he suffer?why his mom do this to him?is important to understand as ALLAH SAY i give you life to see who do good in this world and than you be rewarded what is do as GOD always do justice this life is a test and the mom of baby p fail not only here but rest of her life she suffer forever in this world human is free to choose a pth but only here not after death.BABY p is an angel and alll babies are born on the nature of GOD than their parents make them muslim,jew,christian etc

  • I think that all needs to be said about this appalling case has been said.

    All we can now do is hope for true justice, and that those who did not do their jobs competently will be dismissed.

    R.I.P. little fellah

  • shahid riaz babar 16th Nov '08 - 6:35pm

    GOD and the parents make them christian,jew,muslim,etc.BABY P IS POWERLESS,INNOCENT and her mother she is satan because on background she can be a drug addict,become mentally unstable and for her BABAY P is just a toy to destroy not a living soul

  • shahid riaz babar 16th Nov '08 - 6:41pm

    you read about abuse every day lesley and in this county specially europe as people are sexually abusing ,children because if you see they have no base where they can start a family as with out marriage they have children they have no time for kids as both busy in their work to earn more and forget their duty towards the child as it happen in a society where people forget the GOD and the purpose why they be created,if you want to finish the crime of any kind than you have to start from changing their mind and hearts as make a good example to them

  • nicola fittes 16th Nov '08 - 6:41pm

    the three sick bastards involved in the torture and killing of baby peter have there names photos and addresses on net. bring back capital punishment, why should they be allowed to live?

  • shahid riaz babar 16th Nov '08 - 6:44pm

    LESLEY i beleve we can make a change if you , me and others who are here promise to our selves that we do positive in life and be a good example for others and help others from heart make this society free from drugs,sex and porn and child abuse be kind and honest with our ownselves we can make a difference

  • shahid riaz babar 16th Nov '08 - 6:47pm

    NICOLA i agree to you as bring them in front to the public on net so tie them with rope and every one who pass through throw stones on them untill they die and make them an example for rest so no one dare to do this again

  • nicola fittes 16th Nov '08 - 6:48pm

    god, there is no god, if you believe in god then your a idiot

  • shahid riaz babar 16th Nov '08 - 6:50pm

    Nicola tell me if their is no GOD than how you come to this world how you exist?

  • shahid riaz babar 16th Nov '08 - 7:04pm

    DEAR LESLEY when have time just check this site

    http://www.ahmed-deedat.co.za/frameset.asp

  • nicola fittes 16th Nov '08 - 7:07pm

    so if there is a god then why did he let baby p be tortured and left to die

  • Abbey-Gayle 16th Nov '08 - 8:13pm

    Im only a teenager myself, and im finding it so so so hard to even begin to understand why the parents would do this, I have a little brother, Little cousins, and I just dont get it, forgive me if Im being stupid, The parents do not, and I repeat DO NOT deseve to remain annonomous. They dont even deserve the death penulty tbh.
    The mother has just had another baby in prison right?
    – thats just not right, she dosent even deserve the organs to make another child.
    hopefully this child has baby P watching over it, Babys dont have the ability to use forums like this to have a voice, RIP baby P, Your storys not going to be forgotten. Surely iof the parents found the death penulty a worthy punishment for their innocent, child. then they should also find the death penulty worthy of their sick selves.

  • Dan wrote:

    “i think there identity should be reveled so we can wait for them to come out so the british public can torture them”

    A few clicks on Google will get you the information you want.

    One of the benefits of the internet has been to weaken the ability of the elite to control and deceive us.

    For those who are calling for Mr X, Miss Y and Mr O to be executed, I would point out that none of them has been convicted of murder. Death penalty proponents need to be up front and tell us (1) how many crimes they wish to be punishable by death, and (2) how many mistakes they are willing to tolerate.

  • as a mother i am trying to come to terms with the country we live in and ready the 60 reports sickens me to think that the social services couldnt be bothered to help baby p, as we all know he couldnt help himself. I donate to teh NSPCC and strongly believe that if they had been involved they would have had enough evidence to take baby p out of that hell hole.
    As a country we should al be sticking together to ensure justice to the vile unhumane people that did this, prison is not justice, 3 hot meals a day, pocket money and visits every week is not justice. I just hope that they are named and shamed in the prison and beaten to death just like baby p was.
    I am now working on making the baby p blue ribbon, similar to the cancer ribbon in rememberence of the lil man, all proceeds will go to the NSPCC. if you want to help email me on [email protected]. RIP baby p xxx

  • shahid riaz babar 16th Nov '08 - 8:55pm

    dear nicola as you cannot mix your thoughts of GOD to protect the baby p because GOD give you wisdom and intelligence to use and decide your way and GOD is watching what you do and this life is a examination place where who are free but on day of judgement you see the JUSTICE OF GOD AS IF GOD DO NOW THAN NO ONE CAN LIVE NOW IN THIS WORLD AS WHAT WE HAVE DONE SO FOR.

  • i dont see the point in giving birth to the beautiful baby if all your are going to do is kill him they are sick and dont deserve life !!! and the doctor is obviously a load of shit to be honest not realising the briken back and ribs x

  • Chelsie,

    Before we condemn the doctor, perhaps we should wait for the outcome of the inquiry. Medical negligence can have several causes. Poor medical knowledge and training is one of them. Being drunk is another. In the case of a junior hospital doctor, it is more likely to be the result of working 120 hours per week.

    The consultant paediatrician, Dr Heather McKinnon, acted impeccably, but her advice was disregarded by Haringey Social Services.

    Shahid,

    Can you tell us what the Quran has to say about the state executing innocent people by mistake.

  • i see nothing wrong with argueing for the death penalty for the people who killed Baby P

    why should anyone be forced to pay taxes to keep these murderers in jail for the rest of their lives, at great expense to the taxpayer.

    society has lost its ultimate sanction against crimes of a particularly vile nature. have you ever wondered why murders and violence have escalated since hanging was abolished?

  • Matthew Huntbach 16th Nov '08 - 9:39pm

    Contrary to what has been claimed, there are not a great many people clamouring to be social workers. What intelligent person would go out to be a social worker when there are (or were until recently) far better paid jobs in finance? Social work tends to be the sort of job people go into if they can’t get anything else. That is why we often find young and inexperienced social workers given large amounts of case work they can’t cope with, and people imported from other countries to do the job despite the fact that this job above all requires familiarity with the local culture. There are often many vacancies for social workers which just can’t get filled. Filling them all with experienced people and paying those people enough to stay would cost a LOT – and for those who say “there, it’s all about money” – well, you go on the election campaign on the platform “I’ll make big increases in council tax”. Indeed, next time anyone moans about high council tax, remember this is one of the things it pays for, and the growing mess of people who can’t control their lives and require expensive state intervention to keep them and their children alive is one of the main contributors to council tax going up and up.

    Now, we could just take the radical approach and say “we won’t bother – the state sticking its nose in just makes things worse”. Actually, there is something to this line, and if one looks at the hundreds of thousands it costs to intervene in the lives of people like the mother and her male companions in the Baby P case, all those meetings all those consultations, perhaps just handing this sort the money would do better. But if we take this line we have to accept, nasty things will happen, babies will get killed.

    Will the alternative – more and more intervention, more and more paperwork – ever completely solve the problem? No. Part of the problem is that the usual “something must be done” reaction to cases like this is to set up more paperwork, more bureaucratic procedures to try and paper over the cracks discovered. People get to feel that so long as they have done the paperwork right, they won’t get blamed. An obsessive “someone must be blamed, someone must be punished” attitude only makes this more likely to happen. People are too scared to do anything for fear they wil be blamed, so they fall down on sticking to the bureaucratic procedures.

    So, paradoxically, the way to deal with issues like this is actually to accept that sometimes they WILL happen. Then what we actually need is more wise and mature people doing the social work job, and less paperwork and bureaucratic procedures.

    We must also accept, as I have already said, that there is inevitably a balance between the possibility of some thing like this happening and freedom in society. The greater sexual and relationship freedoms we have now DO lead to this more casual sort of home life in which babies happen, men drop in and out of women’s lives, people don’t feel the deep sense of shame they do in more conservative societies when they aren’t bringing up children in quite the approved way. If you have this freedom, a natural consequence IS that some mothers and their children will get things dreadfully wrong.

    The mother’s boyfriend in this case does seem to be a dreadful brute, with an unhealthy interest in violence. Well, what are we to do about this? Ban violent films and books? Put people in prison because they enjoy watching scenes of torture on film? Right – so that means you’ve put the audience for many recent films in prison. Where do you stop?

  • “For those who are calling for Mr X, Miss Y and Mr O to be executed, I would point out that none of them has been convicted of murder. ”

    which is EXACTLY why the British public are fed up and ANGRY right now. i have read that they could be subject a term of 14 years in jail – so that means half that on “good behaviour”.

    can you understand now why many people are calling for a return of the death penalty?

    “Death penalty proponents need to be up front and tell us (1) how many crimes they wish to be punishable by death, and (2) how many mistakes they are willing to tolerate.”

    the mistakes will be far far less than the current murder and violence rates – the sky high rates are a DIRECT result of the abolition of the death penalty.

    mark my words -if we reintroduce hanging for capital offenses, you will see a dramatic decline in violent crime.

    as for the crimes that should be punisable by death – well for the starters, the torture and murder of a 17 month old baby would be right up there.

  • “especially now since this country hasnt had capital punishment for a substantial number of years…anybody care to cost what bringing it back would cost??”

    whats so expensive about a firing squad?

  • “Daryl Says:
    16th November 2008 at 2:13 pm

    Just take a few minutes when you do your christmas cards to send one to the leader of harringey council, the prime minister and your local MP signed from Baby P, with your own personal message so he is not forgotten like Victoria was, ”

    that is simply a wonderful idea. so simple and yet effective.

    you should get that idea published – get onto the newspapers about it…

  • I hope the all burn in Helllll… he was a very cute kid…she not a mom she is an evil from Hell where she belong..bitch hate her for what she did..

  • “David Allen Says:
    16th November 2008 at 12:02 am
    State violence doesn’t prevent individual people being violent. It can only cause more violence and inhumanity.”

    If capital punishment is “state violence”, then imprisonment is state kidnapping.

    and here’s an interesting graph
    recorded crime per 100,000 people from 1950 to 2005

    http://www.civitas.org.uk/data/RecordedCrimePer100k1950-2004.htm

  • Darrell wrote:

    “Sesenco you are wrong to call for the court to name these people.”

    I am RIGHT to call for the court to name Mr X and Miss Y. If we are to preserve our system of open justice, this must happen.

    You are a paternalist who believes that ordinary people cannot be trusted with information, and I have to disagree with your profoundly.

    Would you apply the same principle to “Lady Chatterley’s Lover”? Mervyn Griffith Jones QC did. Would you apply the same principle to pornography? Mrs Mary Whitehouse did. Hitler, Stalin and Mao applied it to about every aspect of life.

    One of the greatest journalists this country has ever produced, the late Paul Foot, had the guts to defy court injunctions and name Colonel Hugh Johnston (the secret witness in the ABC Trial) and the media personalities who hired prostitutes disguised as children from Janie Jones. Presumably, were you around at the time you would have condemned Paul Foot for his lack of deference to authority.

    BTW, I haven’t provided a link to internet sites that name Mr X and Miss Y (as much as I’m itching to do so), contrary to the impression you give.

  • Archduke wrote:

    “the mistakes will be far far less than the current murder and violence rates – the sky high rates are a DIRECT result of the abolition of the death penalty.”

    Right. So hanging a few innocent people by mistake is quite OK?

    When, in the 1830s, Sir Samuel Romilly called for the abolition of the death penalty for theft he was told that the result would be an astronomical increase in property crime. But after the death penalty actually was abolished for theft, the crime rate didn’t rise at all.

    Serious proponents of the death penalty no longer bother to argue from deterrence because the contrary evidence is so overwhelming.

    Between 1956 and 1965, the ratio of capital to non-capital murders remained roughly as it had been in the period when all murders were capital.

    In the United States, where individual states have abolished then reapplied the death penalty, often more than once over short periods, no deterrent effect has been found.

    As Sir Robert Mark never tired of reminding us, even if we had the death penalty in the UK, it would only ever be applied in a small number of cases. Would we want to give the state the right to kill avoidably, he asked, just to deal with a few bad people?

    Of course, it is possible to argue that crime has risen due to an overall decline in moral standards, of which the abolition of the death penalty is a symptom – along with gay rights, women working, anti-racism, long hair, pop festivals, TV satire, etc, etc.

    If someone is planning to commit an extreme crime like murder, is he/she really going to contemplate the consequences?

    30 years of sitting on a slop-bucket and drinking urine-flavoured tea? Or death?

  • One person did not do their job properly,
    All of them should be sacked without compensation of any kind and without pension pot immediately.

  • No Darrell, you re a typical bleeding heart? Sesenco is merely expressing the nation’s collective views. He is right. These vile creatures should be named. Not doing so is an insult to poor Baby P. Try respecting the unfortunate baby rather than his evil murders. These people must be named.

  • Darrell,

    You haven’t answered my question about Colonel Hugh Johnstone and Janie Jones. Can the public not be trusted to know the the location of the Post Office Tower or the sexual proclivities of media celebrities?

    The trouble with information is that someone has to know it. In your case, you think it’s OK for the elite to know it, but not the hoi polloi.

    Mrs Whitehouse agreed. She thought it was OK for her and her fellow campaigners to wade through mountains of smutty pictures because she was specially protected by God and couldn’t be corrupted. Unlike the rest of us.

    BTW, what is “rational” about naming Jason Owen, but not Mr X and Miss Y? It was Jason Owen’s dog that was set upon the child.

  • i know its the “daily mail” , but this whistleblower story is highly disturbing…

    seems as if Haringey were more concerned about stopping the whistleblower, rather than protecting kids like Baby P.

    “If someone is planning to commit an extreme crime like murder, is he/she really going to contemplate the consequences?

    30 years of sitting on a slop-bucket and drinking urine-flavoured tea? Or death?”

    lets stand back a bit – we executed Nazi war criminals in the wake of WW2.

    why did we do that? yes , a bit of it was vengence – but a heck of a lot of it was to do with society sending out a VERY clear message – that we find Nazism to be completely unacceptable. and to such an extent that we are willing to hang you for it.

    quite frankly, what happened to Baby P was just as horrific as what the Nazis did – and yet here you are argueing that the scumbags who did that should live – and with “good behaviour” they will no doubt be out in 7 years, since they havent been charged with murder.

    i hope you sleep easy at night , because i certainly could not. your kind of thinking only leads to one thing – the molly coddling of monsters in our society. and kids die as a result.

    you are typical of the smug attitudes of the political elite in this country – completely divorced from reality and utterly divorced from what the public are demanding right now.

  • sesenco -> i retract my statement above, having read your previous posts.

    sorry about that. you seem to have the right attitude, with regards to democracy and freedom of information, but just disagree on the death penalty.

    i can live with that.

  • “Darrell Says:
    16th November 2008 at 10:25 pm

    No, I am a rationalist who feels with good reason that ‘ordinary people’ cannot be trusted with that information in this case. I need say nothing more than look through the contributions on this thread…”

    Abraham Lincoln must be turning in his grave. Which bit of “government of the people, by the people, and for the people” do you not understand.

    my friend – such an elitist view can only lead to one thing – and that is 17 month old babys being battered to death because the elitists in Haringey know better than the proles.

    George Orwell would be proud of you. You have vindicated his predictions.

  • whats the point of “due legal process” when baby killers dont get life in prison?

    they were not charged with murder. a man , who broke a kids spine on his knee – broke it in TWO – and he’ll probably do about 7 years in prison.

    and you now wonder about “mob rule”?

    what gives you the right to overrule the wishes of the majority of people in this country? are you appointed by God to pontificate to the rest of us proles with your wonderful wisdom on how we shouldn’t hang baby killers who torture to death 17 month old babies while laughing about it?

    i romanians had the right idea – out the back, 30 second trial, and firing squad.

  • this lovely blue eyed boy did not know any different in his life, no laughs, no tickles, no kisses or hugs, his was pure terror and fear day after day…..I look at my two young children and think of this tiny little deflencless child and my heart goes out to him! These people are bullies and so sick that it goes beyond belief what went through their heads in this length of time! Social Services is a farse, i’m sorry there maybe exceptional workers out there but what has happened here is an absolute disgrace. What is our state of living coming to these days and why the hell are their so many parents out there killing their children……theres so many words i can say but do not wish to type. R.I.P Baby P, may the angels take you to the most happy colourful place you have never seen x

  • Darrell wrote:

    “these people are not being named because there is a very real prospect that hot-heads will subvert that process.”

    So why has Jason Owen been named?

    Would you have protected the identities of Ian Huntley, Fred and Rosemary West, Dennis Andrew Nilsen, Peter Sutcliffe, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, John Reginald Halliday Christie, Alfred Arthur Rouse, Dr Hawley Crippen? Where does it end?

    No, I will save you the bother of answering my rhetorical question. It ends with the Orwellian State.

    BTW, your characterisation of your opposition to open justice in this case as “rationalist” implies that people who disagree with you are stupid. That is rather rude.

  • Alix Mortimer 16th Nov '08 - 11:34pm

    @archduke
    “out the back, 30 second trial, and firing squad.”

    Look, I do happen to agree with you that maybe Darrell’s being a bit pompous, but where did on earth that line come from? What do you think George Orwell would have made of that statement?

    If the state has weapons like arbitrary execution and torture at its disposal, then ANY of us are potentially subject to them. Arbitrariness makes it all the more likely that mistakes are going to be made.

  • Darrell, has it not occurred to you that the average lynch mob might have a bit of difficulty getting through the walls of Wormwood Scrubs?

  • Alix Mortimer wrote:

    “If the state has weapons like arbitrary execution and torture at its disposal”

    Actually, it already does, as Jean-Charles de Menezes, Harry Stanley and Dr David Kelly discovered.

    All the reason not to give them any more, of course.

    On the issue of why Mr X, Miss Y and Mr O were not charged with murder, we need to understand that the mens rea or murder requires that the defendant either intends to kill or cause really serious injury, or foresees death or really serious injury as a virtual certainty. That was drummed into me at my first Criminal Law lecture, and many times afterwards. In the case of X, Y and O, the CPS clearly decided that there was no reasonable chance of proving that these characters possessed the requisite mens rea beyond reasonable doubt. And from what I’ve heard about this case, I think that’s right.

  • Now the girl has revealed who dealt the final blow (see news of the world today) and thus murdered little baby p, she must tell police if she hasn’t already and there MUST be a retrial. they said they could not charge any of the 3 because they could not assertain who dealt the final deadly blow but the girl has now revealed it was the mother’s partner so he can now be charged with murder IF she testifies. if they do not order a retrial the people of england must cause uproar and make themselves heard!!

  • Darrell wrote:

    “And what about an indeterminant time in the future when they are not in Wormward Scrubs??”

    You have a short memory, Mr Goodliffe. For one so “rational”.

    Robert Thompson and Jon Venables were given lifelong anonymity (and new identities) on release from incarceration, as was Maxine Carr. So there is a precedent for protecting notorious offenders once their sentences are completed.

    The key differences beetween their cases and the present one are as follows:-

    (1) Thompson, Venables and Carr had already been named. The first two upon conviction, the second when charged. Their anonymity took effect from the moment they were released – once they had already been punished for their crimes.

    (2) Mr Murdoch’s newspapers had launched hate campaigns against Thompson, Venables and Carr, and in the first two cases, the News of the Screws had come perilously close to inciting people to kill them.

    (3) Thompson and Venables were aged 10 when they committed their crime. Carr was foolish rather than wicked (not a very good excuse, I know). They were all judged unlikely to pose any kind of threat to the public, so there would be no legitimate reason for the media to hound them.

    Rrestricting free speech is a nasty thing to have to do, but it probably needed to be done in those three extreme cases. I would have opposed protecting Thompson’s, Venables’ and Carr’s identities prior to their release.

    As for X, Y and O, when their sentences are complete, I would dump them outside the prison gate and point them to the bus stop.

  • Lou Kelly wrote:

    “but the girl has now revealed it was the mother’s partner so he can now be charged with murder IF she testifies.”

    Not enough. He will deny it. That isn’t even 50% + 1. And you still don’t have the mens rea for murder. Only constructive manslaughter.

  • Wrong again, Darrell.

    Thompson and Venables committed their crimes aged 10 and were judged by the Parole Board no longer to present a danger to the public.

    Miss Y committed her crime as a 27 year-old adult and must therefore be viewed as a potential danger to the public for the remainder of her life (which is likely to be short given her fag habit). Those men with poor enough taste to be attracted to such a loathesome slob are entitled to know who she is and what she did.

    The case for protecting Maxine Carr is weak.

    Your support for the court’s decision shows you to be a naive paternalist with a poor understanding of the nature of power and the functioning of elites.

  • Darrell, presumably you endorse the court’s decision to name Jason Owen – even though he was charged with exactly the same crime as X and Y? Oh, but it’s not for us mortals to question the action of a court, is it?

  • Darrell, I take it you are happy for people to have children solely for the purpose of claiming money off the state, and spending that money, not on the children, but on cigarettes and booze? If X, Y and O are not parasites, then what are they? Hard-working upright folks?

    You won’t answer my question about Jason Owen, will you?

  • Darrell,

    Yes, all three will be released within the next fourteen years. But I don’t see any justification for granting them changes of identity at that stage. The exceptional circumstance that applied to Thompson and Venables (they were both aged 10 at the time they committed the crime) does not apply to X, Y and Z. Of course, if they were pursued everywhere by people holding placards, it might prove cheaper in the long run to give them new identities rather than have police hold the line in the street.

  • “Archduke,

    Incidentally, who has elected you spokesperson for the desires of ‘the people’??”

    who elected sharon shoesmith. answer is nobody.

  • look mate – when i have tesco checkout girls talking about it when i get petrol – and then the ENTIRE queue suddenly talking about it to eachm, then you know that something is up…

    that happened to me today. this afternoon.

    i can only relay what i have experienced. and i do my best to be truthful about it.

    despite decades of politically correct education , folks want hanging brought back, and that is a fact.

    if you dont deal with that , then you have only yerselves to blame as voting levels plummet to below 50 per cent….

  • Rest in peace now little boy they cant hurt you anymore. my heart goes out to you.xxxx

  • what i am trying to point is out is this – if the lib dems or labour or the tories dont sort it out, then you will have the likes of the bnp making inroads. and we dont want that to happen do we?

    wake up and get some balls. do something about it. for if you dont, then you’ll have the BNP to worry about.. or some sharia law party.

  • i agree charlotte. he’s with the angels now. they are looking after him.

  • well why dont the lib dems put it to a referendum vote and find out how many people want to bring back the death penalty?

    but of course you wont – because you know damn well that a majority would vote in favour of it.

  • Alix Mortimer 17th Nov '08 - 9:02am

    @archduke, unhappily for the Lib Dems, we’re not in power. We can’t order a referendum. That’s a question you should ask of the government.

    And this country isn’t governed by referendums, it’s governed by representative democracy. Of course, you can argue that it shouldn’t be, and a referenda system is the way to go. But you need to campaign for that first, then demand a referendum on the death penalty.

  • Alix Mortimer 17th Nov '08 - 9:08am

    And no, I basically don’t disagree with you Darrell, about mob rule.

    One point though – maybe the mob rule argument is irrelevant here. From what Lou Kelly says, there’s going to be a retrial on new evidence.

    THAT’S why the identities are being kept secret. Therefore anyone who posts the identities is endangering the effectiveness of the trial. Sesenco, you are a legal type, is this a possibility?

  • nicola fittes 17th Nov '08 - 9:47am

    you all keep going on bout how their identities should be reveiled, as i said before, their names on on the net along with their photo and if you also look u will find their address. bring back capital punishment and for those of you who dont agree then you are just saying that they dont deserve to die for killing baby p. will u all get a grip

  • Alix Mortimer 17th Nov '08 - 10:04am

    But, Nicola, listen, what about the point I just made – if there’s going to be a retrial, then the identities NEED to be kept secret for the trial to succeed. This means it is a BAD thing that the identities are available on the internet. It makes it LESS LIKELY that the trial will succeed and that the killers will be punished properly.

  • Bullies are not born – they are made. The perpertrators of this horror were innocent at their births. The mother, boyfriend and lodger were probably neglected, possibly abused themselves and this was continued to the sickening abuse of Baby P which put me in floods of tears.

    It’s a generation to generation problem.

    People don’t KNOW how to bring up children properly unless they’ve been LUCKY to get good parenting themselves. I suggest lessons at school. Basic human decency and caring is not to be simply expected anymore.

    Family and community is lost (which would have routed this evil out much quicker).

    How can we fix this? Radically there is sterilisation for ‘undesirables’ but who decides what and who is ‘undesirable’ before an evil act is committed?

    If these 3 end up in prison – the other inmates may give you all the torture that you require.

    God bless us all and especially all the foster parents and loving parents out there bringing up children properly. Please help the SS to do their jobs well and protect the truly vulnerable. Amen

  • Nicola Letchford 17th Nov '08 - 10:33am

    I’m absolutely disgusted. Not just by the cruel torment by the sick mother and step father of little P.. but by the lack of admittance to fault by any official from Haringey social services. Social services in any area have a duty to provide protection to children. Haringey failed. Not just with P, but also with poor young Victoria seven years ago. It’s true that it is a mother’s duty to provide protection to their children, but where the mother fails, officials need to step in. These officials didn’t.

    My reaction to this story was, at first, a great feeling of upset.. but now I just feel angry.. that little boy didn’t deserve to be failed, by his Mum, by his family, by the social services whose duty it was to protect him from abusers. I’m disgusted.

  • There won’t be a retrial. The boyfriend’s Lawyer would argue that she only changed her evidence because she suddenly had a wake up call, and won’t be home for Christmas. A civil suit could still be pursued (by his father?) where the body of evidence is less. (i.e. O J Simpson.

    As for all these lynch mobs out there – let he who is without sin cast the first stone. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t bring back hanging for child murders.

    But many of the comments here are ignoring more complicated issues. For many sink state people, having a child is the passport to housing and benefits. Such children are easily conceived; the fact they will not thrive in a house where such a way of life is a means to an end, is overlooked by Governments. There is one obvious answer to the abuse – he simply wasn’t wanted and the mother found him too hard a price to pay for the way of life she enjoyed at our expense. Toddlers demand endless patience; without the love necessary – a slap, a punch, a threat becomes the means of control. Many children are bought up in this sort of environment. They may not be killed or crippled but their care is poor. In India there are cases of parents who cripple their children to get sympathy money. There was a case in Geneva of a child from over the border, removed from the mother because she tied wire round his leg before dressing him, and then begged for money on the trams with her clearly distressed child. Abuse happens when the ideal circumstances for having a child have been removed and the motive is to get benefits from a welfare state.
    Responsible people may make one mistake, or not, and there are one parent families who do their best for their child; beware of those who continually make the same one – another child they can’t afford.

  • Darrell wrote:

    “I’m not passing judgement on what punishment they deserve. As far as I am concerned that is a matter for judge and jury”

    It is NEVER a matter for the jury what punishment a convicted defendant receives.

    A “rationalist” with the legal knowledge of a six year-old.

  • FYI, Darrell, I was using an unfamiliar computer and forgot to add my name.

    Now, how is it a cheap shot to point out that when you pontificate about legal matters you don’t know what you are talking about?

    After all, you are the one who prides himself on being a “rationalist” and derides ordinary people as ignorant barbarians.

    If you wrote that in a law exam you would be failed. And quite right.

  • Someone in this thread (I forget who) claims that the possibility of a retrial is all the more reason that Mr X and Miss Y should not be named.

    Surely the exact opposite is the case?

    There might be people out there who could assist the forensic process but can’t because they don’t know who the defendants are.

    That is one of the reasons we have open justice.

  • Darrell,

    YOU are the one who is being delusional, I am sorry to say.

    When someone is arrested and charged with a crime, the Police investigation continues. New witnesses come forward, as do new victims (particularly so in serial rape cases). Others may even have information which points to the innocence of the accused.

    In order for any of this to happen, those charged have to be NAMED.

    That is the main reason we have open justice. There is also the point about justice having to be seen to be done, per Lord Hewart CJ; but I don’t suppose that would cut much ice with a champion of official secrecy like yourself.

  • i am absolutely horrified by the events which have happened to Baby P. how can the social worker and doctor not see the injuries that happened to him?? Is is not obvious to see when a baby’s back is broken?? Was the Social Worker so blind that she could not see any fear in his eyes? Even when you see a little baby crying you cannot bear to see them cry – and this mother actually physcially abused him and for what reason? What did she get out of it? Joy??? She is a cold-hearted women with no feeelings whatsoever, if you are not going to look after a small vulnerable child why bother having one? Poor Baby P could not say anything – was defenceless. I may only be sixteen but i know that if i was to see a child like that i would know that something will be wrong immediately. Doctors are meant to help people not help ignore them? My heart goes out to Baby P and to his fmaily who cared for him, may you rest in peace and may Allah (SWT) bless your soul. RIP Baby P.
    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

  • Darrell wrote:

    “you have clearly already prejudged this case by your use of prejorative remarks like ‘parasites’ etc and this is what lies behind your position.”

    There is something you don’t seem to have spotted, Mr Rationalist. X, Y and O have already been CONVICTED. No prejudging, then.

    Naming X, Y and O would have no bearing on the impartiality of a jury. As soon as the case began, the jury would realise who the defendants were. As Enoch Powell once put it, USE YOUR LOAF (something all good rationalists should know how to do).

    Your final question you will need to address to X, Y and O. They should have thought about the consequences first before they embarked upon the torture and homicide of a defenceless child.

    Darrell, you have still to answer my questions about Colonel Hugh Johnston and Janie Jones. Is the location of the Post Office Tower such a sensitive matter that we simply had to protect the identity of the security expert who showed the jury the plan of Fitzrovia? And the court really had to protect the feelings of those poor media celebrities who had hired prostitutes dressed in baby suits and carrying teddy bears, now didn’t it?

  • Hywel Morgan 17th Nov '08 - 4:29pm

    “Concretely, is it not true that if a retrial were to take place the chances of finding an impartial jury would be well down on zero if these people have been named?”

    Ian Huntley got a fair trial (to the extent that one jury member voted to acquit IIRC) and he had been pretty widely named.

  • Darrell wrote:

    “As soon as their names were released there would be full coverage in the news media of every detail of their lives. ”

    Wrong. A preponderance of gossip would be replaced by a preponderance of accurate information.

    A SECRET trial (which is what you want) can NEVER be fair.

    X, Y and O were named by the Metropolitan Police when they were charged. The gagging order came later – when a power freak in the CPS asked for anonymity. Over the last two days, craven newspapers have been busily deleting X and Y from their website archives (the Sun entry vanished this morning) and ISP’s have been taking down customers’ pages. And we call this a “free” country!

    “the fact remains that it is now the responsibility of the law to protect people who are innocent of any crime but tarred through association.”

    Protect whom and from what? Direct me to the relevant statute.

    “I made the point this is an exceptional case”

    Is it more exceptional than R v West, or R v Sutcliffe, or R v Brady and Hindley? But you would doubtless protect them too, so I guess you are kind of consistent.

    (That poor Mr West hanged himself in Winson Green nick because those beastly people were saying horrible things about him.)

  • To all those calling for the mask of anonymity to be lifted, can I:

    A/ refer you to this story where trial of the man accused of kidnapping Shannon Matthews has had be postponed – no doubt at some not inconsiderate expense to the public purse -because the accused has been attacked in prison.
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_yorkshire/7733289.stm

    B/ point out that is known there are other children involved with Baby Ps family, and other charges may be brought against the family.

    If the names of the persons concerned are widely circulated you can be sure that defence lawyers will be (and admittedly its what they are paid to do) claiming its almost impossible to ensure a fair trial for their client(s).

    Surely what we ALL want in this tragic case is for justice to prevail. Lets make sure it can.

  • Darrell,

    OF COURSE they had a secret trial! Their names were kept secret!

    A simple question: Is truth more likely to be spoken when the names of the convicted parties are known or when they are kept secret?

    Again, you show that you haven’t a clue how the system works. The gagging order was imposed at the committal stage. No-one was talking about a retrial then.

    Who is threatening relatives of X, Y and O? No-one on this thread, methinks.

    If innocent people are harassed, then they have remedies available to them.

    Any reasonable person would surely concede that the public interest in the open administration of justice is of rather greater moment than someone’s hurt feelings, or the odd glare in the grocery shop.

    Anyone really determined to do the vigilante stuff will find out who they are anyway.

    The gentleman who thinks that gagging orders are capable of protecting prisoners from having slop-buckets poured over them is living in la-la land. The prison officers will tell the lags who they are anyway, gagging order or no gagging order.

  • I have already dealt with those.

    I would add, however, that Fred West had other children whom he had also abused and could have been the subject of further charges. But West was still named. Moreover, West’s brother, John, was charged with raping one of West’s daughters long after West had died. But West was still named.

  • Darrell wrote:

    “It doesnt matter what stage”

    It matters a great deal!

    For a start, it proves that it has nothing to do with a possible retrial, as you have falsely claimed (a shift in ground on your part, in any event).

    It seems as though you could do with a few basic beginner’s lessons in how the criminal justice shystem works, because you obviously don’t have a clue.

    I have hammered home the reasons why we have open justice in this country, but you choose not to listen.

    You have a problem, Darrell, with your nanny paternalism.

    On the one hand, you sneer at ordinary people for holding silly opinions and for having punitive attitudes towards child killers. On the other, you deny that decent, law-abiding people have any claim to moral superiority over unemployable, chain-smoking parasites, like X, Y and O. In fact, you seem to hint that it is “our” fault that they are like that!

    You are onme muddled guy!

  • We should be allowed access to his killers and be able to torture them to death ourselves

  • joanna bithell 17th Nov '08 - 7:52pm

    I have 3 children my youngest son is 17 months old it makes me sick to my stomach to read/hear/think about what the 3 pure evil monsters have done to this beautifull little angel. This judge better give them nothing less than life in prison. If I had my way I would tie the whole lot up in the centre of the prisons and let other inmates take turns to torture them all day, every day for the rest of their rotten lives as death is too good for these sickos!!

  • I have reservations about my grandsons safety, so obviously I contacted Useless Services (Social Services). First off you have to ring a call centre, then there is a 4 day ring back period. Finally I got a social worker to call at the family home & because the mother admitted to all I had said and promised to try harder I was told the file will be closed! Sorry to upset anyone but I am now seeking the help of a solicitor to have custody. I guarantee if anything happens to my grandson I will sue the departments who are supposed to protect OUR children.
    Don’t be silly of course it won’t happen again, Quote We will learn from this Unquote, they’ll know how to hide their mistakes a lot better that’s what they mean.
    Angry? I’m bloody livid!!!

  • And its happened again – another innocent little child has had his life ripped from him. What this child has had to ensure sickens me to the stomach. However what sickens me more is how the so called authorities have yet again failed to protect this poor baby. And lets face it – what will happen now…the social workers will continue to be overloaded with cases clearly unable to cope, the mother and her partner will probably do a little time in what will be a comfortable cell with TV, radio, warmth and nutritious food. This country is in need of a serious shake up with appropriate punishments for disgusting crimes like these. Hidden identities – I would have there faces spread over the papers for all to see, have them named and shamed and most of all be given an appropiate life sentence locked in a dirty cold cell.

  • listen, at the end of the day that baby’s life has been taken away no matter how many comments we leave or how many times we voice our opinions, nothing will change. nothing has changed since victoria clumbie’s death. i jus pray and hope that some social workers out there can just take it into their own hands and fight. hopefully when i graduate next year i hope to make a difference to as many childrens lives as i can regardlesss of what bosses will tell me, social workers can go out their and fight their own cases if they have the energy and heart to do it. you dont have to listen the ”boss” go further.

    would you do that to your child?

    CAPITAL PUNISHMENT should be bought back i just hope that sense comes before another child is brutally killed.

    my heart goes out to baby p and to all those children who are suffering whilst we are sleeping.

    Rest in peace and live happily in heaven inshallah.x.

  • this is the most disgusting thing i’ve ever heard of, how dare someone be aloud to do this to a boy so young. this ‘man’ (if you can call him it) is a disgrace to all things humain! swing a child from his ankles, bashing his head on the cot, torturing him so badly ..he deserves the be tortured, killing the ‘man’ is not good enough, he needs to go through the ordeal he put this little boy through, a boy who could no speak up about what is happening to him! his mother on the other hand she’s disgusting allowing this ‘man’ to do this to her only child, how could anyone let this happen? however i blame only the people in higher management of ‘social services’ who dismissed this poor boys life, do they deserve this well paid job? no. they disgust me it’s all targets and profit. they’re no better than the people who lived with baby P really.

    poor boy, rest in peace xx

  • The tragic story of Baby P will no doubt haunt all of us for the rest of our lives, I too like many have a baby (17 months old), I look at my inncocent happy child with tears in my eyes, coming to terms with what has happened to baby P will be a hard long road. In the public sector I have often heard the’lack of accountability’ phrase used too often – and in the case of Harringey council, enough said. I pray that if there are more cases out there, these are surfaced quickly and actions to protect the child are not just recorded on a useless and robotic system (a system made up of people!). I pray that there will be no more, but if these sick and evil child killers get let off time and time again, when will there ever be an end to these kind of devastating and sick cases???!!! Simply sickening

  • Perhaps there should be a register for people who fail these innocent children,whereby they can never work with them again.
    Or better still the pay should be the national minimum wage thus ensuring whoever takes a post at being a social worker will be doing it for the good of the child rather than their own corrrupt pockets. We all work long & damn hard to pay our council taxes which enables these dispassionate b’s to remain in their jobs, only to have another child die.
    How nice it must be for Haringay authorities to go home at night & sleep soundly, I can’t can you?
    To beautiful baby P we of compassion are so, so sorry to have failed you. Bless you sweetheart.

  • im a mother of two and i own a nursery looking after children.im a child protection officer and i am sickend with what has happend with baby p.social services need to sort them selves out,it would be just like me not reporting a case out if i needed to report one.bang the child losses a life.very sad this country is not looking after children!!!!! at least no harm can come to him now.baby p and victoria are gone now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • im sickened, disgusted and apalled what has happened to baby p…. i have a little boy the same age and cant even beging to imagine what that liitle boy went through… 60 visits and not one of those pigs helped that innocent helpless little boy….. each and everyone of them should be hung drawn and quatered they make my skin crawl, call themselves professionals the only thing they are, are low life scum bags. When i heard what had happened to baby p my heart broke a went to see my son who was sleeping and cried my heart out to think that there are people in this world who could harm someone so little who all he would of ever wanted was a hug and a kiss from his mum…. His mother doesnt deserve to breathe or her partner or the other scum bag that lived with them…. they deserve everything that is coming to them and i hope they rott in hell…. i cant even look at the photos of baby p in the paper or on the news as it saddenes me so much… Haringay you deserve to be shut down and all should be locked up….
    Baby P rest in peace little one and fly with the angels they will watch you, you dont have to suffer no more… God bless you sweetheart
    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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  • Hi does anyone have a picture of the murdering step-dad?

  • Darrell has a blind faith in the CPS to give anonymity to convicted child killers for the “right reasons”. Doubtless he has a similarly unquestioning faith in Sharon Shoesmith and Haringey Social Services. Gosh, wasn’t Shoesmith’s performance on prime-time TV one of the biggest public relations disasters of all time?! The woman is consumed with vanity and contempt – contempt for her own staff, and contempt for the people she is paid so handsomely to serve. No doubt she will get a whopper of a golden handshake like Roy George did in Ealing.

    I see people are having Miss Y’s mugshot removed from their Facebook pages, in this “free” country of ours.

  • Si,

    I have seen one on the internet, but the Thought Police are taking them down as soon as they appear.

    The really scary thing about that trio is they look so “ordinary”.

  • Is there a ‘long term’ action group to follow the developments of the 3 murderers so we know what happens to them in prison and when they come out?

  • i just cant believe they are covering up the identity of the 3 scum bags there faces should be everywhere for everyone to see….. they were big enough to do what they have done so why the hell cant everyone see what they look like they shouldnt be allowed to hide away i hope they get the shit kicked out of them in prison

  • I’ve been so upset by this. I didn’t want to read any of the details this poor little soul went through. I’ve just been on the facebook site reading comments which helps a little bit, by just letting you know that there are decent people in this world who love little children. There was a link to the News of the World newspaper site. I’ve always hated this newspaper, but clicked on the link, but soon wished I hadn’t. I just couldn’t read on, it was just too awful and disturbing.
    I’ve many a time shed tears on my own for this beautiful little baby boy who found himself in a world of monsters. I’m just heartbroken. I’m a single man. I’m not a father. You don’t have to be a father to feel pain for this little child so abused and tortured. You just have to be human.
    That man who slowly killed this child is purely evil. The mother is equally to blame. Why oh why over all those months did no one do anything to help this little, lonely, terrified child?

    Dear Little P,
    I’m so, so sorry no one could help you.
    Your little arm reaches out, but there was no one to lovingly take your little hand, and lead you from your perils to safety.
    It seems everyone you encountered during your short time in this world failed you.
    You were left alone in a world of monsters.
    You seemed to know nothing but fear, pain and confusion during your short life; and consequently, you were never able to understood life.

    You are now free of this. The fear and pain are gone, and the love you never knew surrounds you with warmth, for always. You have gone home and are safe.

    I would have loved you little baby P,
    and I’ll never forget you.

    God Now Blesses You with the love for us all.

    Jeffrey. x

  • Jeffery that is all so true what you have said…. and its probably the most heartbreaking thing that i have ever heard of…. i just cant get my head around what these people have done…. i put my son to bed this evening with a hug kiss and hug, looked into his eyes and it fills me with so much joy that i have him….. he is my world and i love him with all my heart…. i just dont understand????????

  • These people deserve nothing. They shouldn’t have any rights! Nothing can bring this little angel back now. Least they can do, is to lock them all up and torture the way they tortured this poor boy and even more brutal. Torture them every day, for the rest of their lives. Even then, their pain will be just physical. They won’t feel this mental pain that this abandoned boy felt. Little helpless boy that wanted nothing but love… All the people that let this boy die should be punished. Dumb, blind, irresponsible idiots shouldn’t be allowed to work anywhere else than sweeping the streets – and even that might be to much of a responsibility for them! Those 3 should be tortured to death and then rot in hell!

    i really hope there is some beautiful place where all those innocent angels go and are happy for ever. Free from pain and tears. Living their second, eternal life where everything is so perfect, just like they deserve it.

    rest in peace, little prince…

  • I work within an organisation where child protection is high on our priorities – I have been involved in a case where we, as an organisation, reported the situation to social services. Neighbours of this mother where also so concerned that they reported the situation to social services. In this so-called society where multi-agency working is imperative, I have found it extremely difficult to gain information in order to protect 2 children. Health visitors have ignored concerns as i am not a qualified health professional (even though I am still a qualified professional working with teenage mums and their children) – they made their decisions on a 30 minute visit and ignored any concerns of mine – what would I know – I only see the mother and children once a week for several months before they finally visited (after the mum had constantly ‘missed’ and ‘forgotten’ her appointments (the warning bells should have started ringing!!) – I had to constantly chase up the social worker – she was very busy with other high priority child protection court cases that the case i was involved in was simply put on the back burner, and now they have decided that it is the mum that needs more support (even when it has been evidenced that she will go out of her way to avoid support), and that the children are not at risk. Emotional abuse IS high priority and is an implication of something not being right in the home…. it is damaging…. the 2 year old had severe speech delayment, and his 9 month old sister had attachment problems. Even my manager’s opinions were by and large ignored, and she is a qualified social worker who spent the early part of her career working in children’s homes. We, as an organisation, feel these children are hugely at risk from the mother’s neglect and by the people that she invites into her home…. whilst other organisations continue to be ‘precious’ about the information they hold, claiming client confidentiality and data protection (especially considering that child protection concerns over-ride these laws) then multi-agency working WOULD be far more effective in protecting our children – until organisations work together then abuse, emotional, sexual and physical will continue resulting in more children becoming several damaged or dying. The organisations can then simply blame each other whilst noone takes responsibility and politicians use the case as a weapon to score points off each other. Yes the so-called carers of BabyP were responsible for his death, but they were allowed to continue to perpetrate their abuse because they had already got away with it so many times. The case of babyP is one tragedy in a line of many before him, and sadly many to come. Early intervention, proper multi agency working and continuous follow ups must happen in order for more BabyP’s to be made safe. This was alledgedly put in place following the tragedy of Victoria Climbie – and yet, 8 years later, with the same social sevices department involved, and the same hospitals involved, shows that no one has learnt or actually changed anything from a case that had supposedly changed the way that the government deals with the issue of child protection… Every Child Matters…. like hell they do!!! It is a sad sad world where people do not want to get involved when a child is so desperately in need of protection, and only gets the attention they deserve after they have died.

  • One other point in the case of child protection – what the hell was a 15 year old child doing living with a grown up man, and another couple – where are her parents? Where her school not aware of her living situation? Her GP? Why were social services not involved with her? Was Jason Owen not also charged with statutory rape? My mind just boggles!!!!

  • There are so many people who would love to have a child but they can’t…such a beautiful, innocent boy suffering so much simply because he was born in the wrong place!!! I prey for Baby P and I do apologise to him with all my heart – I am sorry for all the horrible people you have met and who have let you down. I hope you are in a better place now…

  • Failing to protect children is not the only nefarious thing that Social Services Departments do.

    A few years ago, a Labour Council Leader tried to have a private landlord sent to a lunatic asylum to stop him exposing corruption in the Housing Benefits Department. Social Services was more than willing to co-operate, but the man’s GP refused to play ball.

    Who thought abuse of psychiatry was confined to Brezhnev’s Soviet Union?

  • i think baby ps mum is sick in the head and soo is the step dad and the people in the house that was watching this and let it carry on , and the social workers and the docter well if u ask mee i dont think any off theys people hav a heart, i recon they should all die a very painfull death like the way they did to baby p that child had no reson to die the way he did he should still be livin till this day if i was in that house watching that i would viscaly stab the people that did this to baby p they really have no reason for doing this. i dont think baby p parents should be i prison i think they should be in hell rottin away. baby p was the most gorgouse baby in the world how could u do such a thing xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx lov u baby p rest in peice xxxxxxx

  • All I am hearing at the moment is how the government etc has failed this little baby. Yes this is true but what about the people that have carried out this appaling act. This is where capital punishment should be returned. We as a country are far to soft with people that are commmitting these terrible acts. They are now going to prison and us tax payers will pay for them. Put them with the other in mates, they will then know how it feels to be punched, kicked and battered. Personally this woman should be made to have a full hysterectomy. You used to have to buy a pet license but anyone can give birth!!!!!! Our world is becoming a terrible place to live. Something has to change now….

  • people like them need to be locked away forever how could the mum let it happen if she didnt want baby p she should of gave him to some one else who would of looked him

  • it is so sickening to know dat a mother could do something that cruel to her own flesh and blood he was only three years old people like that dont deserve to have kids

  • y is it all about race with some ppl as far as i can c he was a white child with blonde hair n blue eyes a gorgeous little boy, and it still made no difference. RIP baby P

  • Matthew Huntbach 18th Nov '08 - 10:26am

    Ian Josephs writes

    Physical torture KILLS KILLS KILLS !!!

    followed by

    Emotional abuse does NOT
    Poor school attendance does NOT
    A cluttered house does NOT
    Witnessing domestic violence does NOT
    Hostility to the “professionals” does NOT
    A parent with learning problems does NOT

    No, but all these are signs that something might be wrong, in cases where serious child abuse is occurring you will often (but not always) also see things like this. So should we remove children from their families whenever we see things like this? Just to be on the safe side? No, obviously not.

    All these people screaming abuse at Social Services in Haringey – how many of them have actually worked at the front line in a job like this?

    I have no brief to speak for Haringey, I don’t know anyone who works for Social Services in Haringey, I do know people who do that sort of job elsewhere. It is not an easy job, in fact it is a gut-wrenching emotionally draining job, paid peanuts compared to our fat cat city financiers who say their jobs are so stressful it’s only fair they get bonuses of millions to compensate – and who devise all sorts of fancy tax avoidance schemes so that local government is starved of money to pay for services like this.

    So, if you are a social worker who deals with things like this, you are faced the whole time with mothers and their male companions, who don’t cope very well – their home is messy, they dabble in drugs, they get angry and snap and hit each other, they sit the children in front of the TV while they go off and do other things etc etc. From these, you have to work out who are the real villains where the child should be taken away, and who are just, well not as good as they might be, but not evil. Remember that real evil people tend to be emotionally cold and very good at covering up.

    It isn’t good to snatch children away form their parents and put them into care – putting children in care messes them up big time as well. So you do have to be sure before you do this that it is the best alternative. Bear in mind that the downmarket media, when not screaming abuse at social workers for leaving kids to suffer in situations like Baby P’s, is screaming abuse at them for taking children away from their parents.

    Having looked at the reports of this case, it looks like a lot of time was spent on Baby P. Opinions varied, some wanted him taken away, some preferred the other option. Folks – IT ISN’T EASY – sometimes people come down on one side when hindsight suggests they should have come down on the other. Folks – how many times have YOU got something wrong in your job, you made – for what you thought was the right reason – one decision, and it turned out the other would have been better? And when you did, what did you do? Cover it up, blame someone else, say “but I followed procedures”? Be honest, probably yes, we all do this when we want to save our skins.

    With the social worker in this sort of job, when the wrong decision is made, the consequences may be tragic, as they were in this case. But think seriously – was it in anyone’s interest that the wrong decision was made here? No, I don’t think so. No-one personally made a profit from Baby P staying at home rather than Baby P being placed in care. So you cannot say that anyone acted maliciously in order to benefit themselves. At worst, people were sloppy, at best they genuinely felt they had come down on the right side. Baby P’s case was considered by a large number of people, it’s not the case of one person being sloppy or negligent or not following procedures. Do you suppose that all those dozens of people who were involved in this case were bad people? Or will you admit – things can go wrong?

    So, sure, procedures must be investigated to see if things can be improved and in future there’s more chance of the right decisions being made. But, as I’ve said earlier, beware of the reaction which says you must put more bureaucratic paperwork in place to try and stop it. This is often what happens, and it doesn’t work. In the end we have to admit, with the best will in the world, things do go wrong.

    Do people here really think that the social workers involved in the Baby P case were “pigs” or the other terms of abuse aimed at them in this thread? Would “pigs” go into this difficult sort of work? What piggish benefit did they get from making the wrong decision? If it’s a job for pigs, then why are there so few people willing to do it that there are many vacancies in the role, and people are having to be imported from other countries to do the job? If we paid them like we paid city financiers, maybe we’d get better people doing the job, but are you willing to pay the council tax that would cost?

    The main effect of this screaming abuse at the professionals involved in this case is that people in the job will be afraid of making decisions, that they will fall ever deeper into the trap of just following bureaucratic procedures because that’s the best way of avoiding the danger of personal blame. And other people, considering careers, will just never want to take up such a job, who would want to take up such a job when it’s so emotionally demanding, its pay is small compared to much more comfy jobs in other areas, and all it gets is abuse screamed at you?

  • i think we all shud get together and do a protest or petiton so these people gt sacked we shud all go down london and protest against this otherwise this is going to go on and on and on remeber the public has power to if we manage to block the streets of london look at how much money they will be losing in a day we need attention and the attention that we need is from the prime minister and government who have the power to control this and the power to stop this from happning? why are they only giving them 2 weeks to investigate how the hell are they going to find out everything. this is just ridiculous im so ashamed, i have all these images in my head that flash by and all i can do is cry why oh why, i hope all the inmates get together and put the kettles on not for cups of tea but for torture always remember WHAT GOES AROUND ALWAYS COMES AROUND inshallah just hav faith and we will all help get revenge for baby p xxx

  • I cried when I read Monday’s newspaper about what they did to that poor baby.
    When they are in prison I hope the inmates do the same to them. I hope they break there back, tear off there fingernails and slice off there fingers so they know what pain that innocent baby went through. Then put them in a cell and leave them there to rot.

  • Sarah Williams 18th Nov '08 - 11:41am

    Baby P, I am so sorry that all you have seen of this world is pain and fear. I have not been able to stop thinking of you since I heard about you and saw your beautiful little face. I wish I could have done SOMETHING and am left with this thought. You deserved love and lots and lots of hugs. I have a little boy and love him with all my heart and could not think of hurting a hair on his head.

    Please believe not all ‘people’ are as vile and cruel as the ‘people’ you have known in your short life.

    I only hope you are at peace now.

    I’m so sorry you were so let down.

    Lots of love
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  • I’ve been sobbing, thinking about all the pain he went through and trying to understand how anyone could do that to a child.

    What I really don’t understand is how authorities failed to remove Baby P from his ‘mother’ after months of abuse yet jailed this man http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24672187-23109,00.html for smacking his son. Perhaps it’s time to take ‘justice’ out of the courts and hand it back to the mob.

  • My heart filled with grief and my eyes swelled in tears when i read this news. I have a 11 months kid and i feel it as a gift to have my kid. I cannot understand how you can be so cruel to your own kid??

  • nicola fittes 18th Nov '08 - 1:01pm

    hi si, there was a pic on net of the stepdad, not sure if it still there. im sick of people saying that the social workers were under pressure with paper work to be able to do their jobs properly, fuck the paper work, a childs life is more important than bloody paper work. none of them did their jobs properly. and im sick of certain people saying their is a god and that he put us here to decide our own path in life but babies dont have that choice, there is no god

  • nicola fittes 18th Nov '08 - 1:08pm

    hi emma, i agree with everything you hav said, there seems to be to many do gooders on this site saying they dont believe in capital punishment. these people need to get a grip. all three sickos should be brought out in public and let us deal with them. it gives me nightmares of what happened to baby p, i think bout it all the time. i have a 4 year old and i look at him when he is sleeping and i cry.

  • This is truely tragic, my heart goes out to baby P. being a mother of 3 I cannot understand how anyone could harm their own baby. Yes baby P was let down by social services, but lets live in hope that for every “baby P” there are hundreds of other children that social services have saved/rescued. Social services have a very hard job to do, are under resourced and under paid in comparisson. If every successful case was given media coverage like baby P then maybe we would have a very different opinion of social services. Unfortunately we only hear of a case when worst case senario happens. Hopefully lessons can be learnt from this.
    rest in peace sweet baby. xxx

  • In baby P’s case why look for ‘one’ person or one ‘party’ to blame? It’s clear that baby p’s death is the result of collective failings of many people and many organisations involved and I think ALL those responsible she be held accountable……… starting from the management at the council who repeatedly overruled the recommendation by the minor staff to remove him from his mothers care.
    Also we should not forget the mom, her BF and the lodger who together delivered the physical blows that killed baby P. I think the idea if giving them 14 yrs in jail a laugh and a insult to his memory……….they should be given life behind bars for the innocent life they took. The reason people repeatedly commit these kinds of horrible crimes is cause the punishment doesn’t fit the crime….lets stop this attitude by everyone including the government of “we’ll get it right next time” and do the right thing NOW and make sure the people responsible are made to pay accordingly!

  • Natasha Pitcher 18th Nov '08 - 1:40pm

    This is truely tragic and if only people had done their jobs correctly then maybe Baby P would still be with us now. How could anyone not notice a broken back?? It’s beyond me! They say it slipped through a safety net… they are the safety net!! I dont have children but can honestly say that if a child looks unwell and uncared for then just look in their eyes and it’s so clear! So after all this the responsibe are still kept annonymous. Why is that?? It’s sickening what this child had to go through and if i could then i’d grab hold of him and never let go! I would say that the responsible should die but thats just the easy way out. Let the animals go i say and find a cure for cancer on these monsters! …………. Baby P so sweet and innocent the whole nation grieves for you. You are always in our hearts. Love forever little angel my you be at peace at last xxx

  • tessa coulter 18th Nov '08 - 1:44pm

    now you are with the angels baby p
    rest in peace XxXxXxX

  • Gavin Russell 18th Nov '08 - 1:46pm

    I have posted before on this BUT just one point I wanted to add is the case that its another “stepdad”/mums new boyfriend thats done this along with the mum and the lodger .
    I am a dad of a gilr whos now 6 BUT when my child was only 18 months old her mum turned around and said “dont want to know you anymore,forget you have a child oh ! and the csa will be in touch!

    I fought for over a year in court to be fully involved in my childs life and now have her every weekend and also a day during the week too !BUT !! Because of family proceedings I had to be interveiwed and assessed by Court mediation service called CAFCAS which sadly basically is NAPO national association of probation officers !!

    Done nowt wrong all my life even served with the police BUT was now being “x rayed” by these people JUST to fully involved with my child .

    The thing that bugs me is that mum can move ANY tom,dick or harry into the house ass was this sad case and the new boyfriend has more access to my child than I have ? And doesnt need to vetted by CAFCASS ??

    The whole family law system is wrong Perhaps if the father of Baby P had more rights regarding his child this sordid case might never have happened?

    Bearing in mind that a massive percentage of child abuse/assaualts are carried out by someone within the household who has wormed their way into the household where kids are staying .

    I dont know the particular circumstances in this case BUT I just wanted to add my thoughts on addressing for the future ,

    Theres trials in various police forces across england and wales where a resident parent ( usually mum ) can have her new “love” police checked BUT I feel this should also be able to be done by the non resident parent( usually dad) to ensure that his child is safe in the company of a new fella who has access to his kids .

    Perhaps the mum doesnt want to scare away her new fella by saying she,s go have him CRO checked and just feels ” oh it will be ok” ?
    and sadly that can prove to be too late for the childs safety ! .

  • nicola fittes 18th Nov '08 - 1:52pm

    who cares that social services are underpaid, so what your saying is claire, if your underpaid then it means you dont have to do your job properly.

  • It sickens me to think what that poor little lad went though and neither surprises me that the monster who abused him also tortured animals. Statistics have always shown that child abusers always start by abusing animals first. It is so important for the SS and RSPCA to work together and if a report of animal abuse is bought to life especially with children in the family then the SS should be informed. Many people may think animal abuse is not important but please always report animal abuse to the Authorities especially if children are in the family and you just may save a childs live.

  • it makes me sick that they call their selfs proffesionals they failed to protect baby p the people involved in this sad case of neglect and child abuse of the worst kind should be sacked and jailed they could have protected that poor wee boy but didnt i would like to know who gave them their jobs

  • nicola fittes 18th Nov '08 - 1:58pm

    people go into social work to protect children no matter what the pay is or pressure of the job is.

  • nicola fittes 18th Nov '08 - 2:02pm

    i live accross the road from a mum that leaves her child of a year old by themselves, i have reported this to the social services, and guess what, nothing has been done about it yet. so to all you people that think social services do a good job then you should all get a grip.

  • nicola fittes 18th Nov '08 - 2:06pm

    lee smith, im with you on that

  • Nicola,
    Why not go and speak to the mother yourself??

    Also, social workers do amazing work for children day in day out. (and will continue to do so long after you’ve lost interest in this case).

    They have to deal with the hardest decisions on a daily basis.

    Do they play it safe and remove all children from their parents at the slightest hint that their is a risk to tyhe child? If so, the mass media kick off about baby snatching!

    Its a lose lose situation for social workers.

    Do you actually know any Nicola? I’m sure if you did you’d understand how hard they actually work.

  • Does ‘Justice’ have to mean violence?

    As a 58yr old grandfather i hardly think i would be very initmidating!!

  • I think at this stage it is down to the social workers to defend a child that cannot defend itself againt cruel monsters such as his parent. There was enough evedance to stop the death of this child. As for the parent and partner that caused such harm to a boy who had never been loved from birth and used excuses to continue the fun they had in tourchering him, well lets just see what is in place in the justice system for such people. I am not exciting revenge but it is in the minds of alot of people and there is no safe place for them to hide.

  • The piece in today’s Grauniad by Polly Toynbee is worth a look:-

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/nov/18/comment-social-services-child-protection

    For two reasons:

    (1) Toynbee, a Nanny stater, is seeking to use the Baby P case to promote the “New” Labour agenda of extending educational conscription and reducing individual autonomy for children and young people to the barest minumum (that is what one reads into the stuff about children’s centres, after school clubs, etc).

    (2) The statistics.

    In 2007, 68 children were killed unlawfully, 15 of them by strangers, 53 by members of their own family circle.

    29,000 children are on the Child Protection Register.

    300,000 children are believed by Social Services Authorities to be “in need”.

    60,000 children are in “care”.

    The number of children unlawfully killed has dropped by 50% since the 1970s.

    80% of children unlawfully killed are not on the Child Protection Register.

    The picture that emerges is one of child killing as a relatively rare event (though still unacceptably high), but of child abuse and child neglect as a persisting social evil.

    The case of Baby P is one of child abuse and neglect that resulted in death.

    What worries me most about these figures is the following:-

    (1) Four fifths of children unlawfully killed never come under the radar of child protection agencies.

    (2) The “care” system is disastrous for children. It is a one-way route to prison, drugs and prostitution.

    Polly Toynbee is right to say that social work is done better today than it was in 1974 (when 40 calls from neighbours about the Colwell family were ignored). But she cannot seriously deny that Haringey screwed up big time. The errors were many and serious.

  • Agree mainly with Huntbach above,

    The social workers have not deliberately decided to let a child die. Without stupifying authoritarianism (and ridiculous taxes) we have to accept that crime – violent, minor, corporate – IS going to happen. Crime will never completely cease to exist and a percentage of crime will always be extremely emotive.. Like this case.

    How about looking at ourselves here? What about our own responsibilities?? Those suggesting lynch mobs/torture/revenge/capital punishment are probably the same people who clamoured FOR the News Of the Worlds ‘Name and Shame’ Paedophile witch-hunt.. Which inadvertently harmed our children by sending most offenders underground, back out of the sight of SS, insular and more likely to re-offend. There has to be a certain level of acceptance, forgiveness and trust (obviously after punishment and rehab).

    There also has to be a degree of realism at times where knee-jerk rulings and unrealistic precedents are tempting. It becomes a joke when laws are named after dead children.

    On a broader scale we have to really question what we as individuals allow into our own lives. Who here has funded the black-market by buying fake goods, cheap cigarettes… ?? Organised crime that helps traffick youngsters, fuels the sex-trade, ruining childhoods…
    We also have the responsibility to think how we as individuals have come to expect. ‘Heads should roll etc’.. what happened to the neighbours? Where was the family? Cousins? Mum/Dad? Why has society become a place where you no longer investigate strange screams? Or no longer say hello? We each have a responsibility to look/inquire/get involved with each other. This probably could have been avoided if the Mother had ‘A friend’. Just a friend.. somebody to not let down.

    Shahid mentions Saudi capital punishment in relation to low crime figures. Theer is also a poster who has linked a 1950’s-2008 crime in the UK graph.. This doesn’t hold up really.. Shahid. Where would you prefer to be a victim of crime?? Whatever that crime?? SA or UK?? I’m pretty confident in UK law. I’ve been subject to theft and violent crime. I’ve also been questioned in relation to something that I was wrongly accused of. I was close to being found guilty. Slip-ups can and do happen. I could have just a bout dealt with sitting in a cell for three years and read books but I couldn’t have stitched my head back on pal..
    As for the crime growth graph this is a good thing. We all know that crime has become easier to report; battered wives are braver; intimidation is more punishable etc.. Plus more things are regarded as crime. Car crime is massive etc… Plus loads o stuff now has to be reported fro insurance purposes whereas people used to just get oin with it without wasting coppers time.. Plus they have to make quotas so it’s all distorted… 87.7% of statistics are made up on the spot..

    As for Little Baby P. How sad. How terrible. What a sad story. I’m a little personally ashamed that my generation has this associated with it. Little Baby P has gone, let the law deal with the parent(s)… In the meantime, who has taken the opportunity to go and knock on someone’s door and check up on ‘em.. Let’s all try a bit harder to be friendly. Let’s not let the little old lady next door freeze to death this winter. Let’s ALL learn..

  • Jordan Jamieson 18th Nov '08 - 3:58pm

    bring back capital punishment! let them be named and shamed and for everyone to see them die a painful death

    RIP BABY P
    XXXX

  • baby p i love uuuu hunnie xxx u didnt desevre xxxxx

  • i cant believe the parents cant be identified why do they have rights when baby p didnt because nobody seemed to care enough unless he would be here now.rest in peace darling
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  • I cant stop thinking about that poor defenseless little child. I had dealings with Social Services a few years ago when i was in a violent relationship, they tried to take my babies because they said it was my fault i was in a bad relationship. I love my children with all my heart and would die for them, but social services offered no help even when i left my abusive partner and needed housing. the social worker said that i would fail and that they would house my kids but not me with them, it took months of appealing to finally get help! What im saying is that social services have lost sight of what they are meant to be doing! That poor baby was OBVIOUSLY being hurt, yet they overruled the worker who knew this!! They should all be sacked and as for the doctor who did not notice the poor childs broken back! Well she should resign! I hope that poor child is with the angels, free of pain and abuse and that the EVIL people who did this get what they deserve in prison and Hell!!!!

  • Alix Mortimer 18th Nov '08 - 4:29pm

    Maybe a good point to re-advertise my post on how you can take steps to stop this happening where you live.

    https://www.libdemvoice.org/after-baby-p-what-can-be-done-5931.html

    This is just about the official stuff you can do. It should be read alongside what Chris B and several others have said here about being more community-minded – which I think is equally important.

  • I will think of you daily baby P for the rest of my life – never forgotten since the day i read about this last year.

    Others who wish to keep Baby P alive in our hearts and minds, can you tell me where i can find websites were we can constanly remember him with other like minded people.

    Also, i heard even now he does not have a headstone, looking for others intrested in sorting something out for him.

  • If everone who is venting their anger, sadness frustration etc. on this site regarding baby p can together use that all that energy in some way to get justice for Baby P .i think his death would not have been in vain…like putting pressure on the justice system to atleast give his murderers life imprisonment…

  • I just cannot get the last picture of Baby P out of my thoughts. He is there constantly from waking until night. All that little boy wanted was to be loved just as every defenceless child has a right to be loved, and be happy. All he knew was pain and suffering. It really breaks my heart knowing he could have been saved many months before his harrowing death but time and time again was failed by the very people who should have protected him from the evil scum who do not deserve to walk the face of this earth. Baby P, I hope you are happy now wherever you are, free to laugh, free from pain, torment and suffering, something that was so horribly denied you in your short 17 months of life. Sleep in peace you beautiful boy.

  • Dil is right, lets mourn baby p, but also lets put all our anger and energy to enusre justice is done for him.

    I cannot stand the fact they are still laughing at his death and will be out in 10yrs max. What can we do as a collective? is there a forum to join to discuss/plan?

  • Natasha Pitcher 18th Nov '08 - 5:02pm

    Darrell, whay are you ripping into John for what he has said? It just shows how passionate he feels about this case. And i tell you if he did want the responsible harmed then he isn’t the only one!!

  • Is there a suitable punishment for their crime? I believe that the death penalty is to easy – they should experience just a taste of what that poor defenceless child went through! A life sentence, which means life; no second chances, they should die in prison. I was shocked and dissgusted to hear that the conservative party used this story to score points against labour; you dont invole a story as tragic and emotive as this into the world of politics.

    The identities of his murderers should be put on the front cover of every newspaper in the country! Rest in peace little one.

  • Natasha Pitcher 18th Nov '08 - 5:07pm

    Surely everyones anger for what has happened to Baby P can be put together and really make a difference to the measly 14yrs life sentence. If everyone pulls together then true justice can be served xxx

  • People want to form lynch mobs with a view to getting justice.
    Thanks to bleeding heart liberals the country is turning into an anarchic free for all where no-one but the violent criminals are safe. (fraudsters still tend to get locked up)
    I used to be anti the death penalty, but have to ask myself why on earth would anyone want scum like this to continue living on this planet.
    I sincerely hope that these vile, evil, sadistic murderers get whats coming to them (that will not be meted out by the current “justice” system – I believe the maximum sentence is 14 years, but I would bet they will be out after serving just a 3rd of their time because they would have been judged to be rehabilitated) but by people who really feel for what this defenceless baby was put through – nothing can justify sticking up for these murderers.
    I defy anyone to witness an attack like one of these on a defenceless kid and not have the urge to retaliate in kind! (If you say that you could, you are either lying or cold-blooded).
    I also hope that protection offered to them in prison is kept to a bare minimum!
    JUSTICE (or revenge if you prefer) MUST BE DONE!

  • Natasha Pitcher 18th Nov '08 - 5:14pm

    Darrell,
    i am with you on the whole lynch-mob thing but in this case i just feel so much anger and upset for this child that i could truely see anything happen to them and not have one bit of sympathy. I do understand what you are saying though and respect you view.

    Natasha

  • Darrell,

    I am not talking about lynch mobs roaming the country.
    These peoples’ identities are known.
    There will be no case of mistaken identities.

    Let them accept whats coming to them.
    Why on earth should they be afforded protection that this defenceless child was denied?

    It amazes me how people can take the moral high ground in cases like this – its 2008 in a civilised world. We havent had the death penalty in decades… something is obviously not working!
    Let them get what’s coming to them.

  • Darrell,

    a question for you – what would be a “just” punishment or “justice” in this case from your point of view?

    A cushy cell with other nonces playing playstation games for a few years? Thats what they are going to get…

    Not justice in my mind and I am sure many will agree.

  • Sean wrote:

    “(fraudsters still tend to get locked up)”

    Are you being serious?!!

    Fraud is probably the least likely crime in this country to be detected and prosecuted. In fact, Britain is known internationally as a soft touch. One of my friends has been helping a lady who was ripped off by a mortgage broker. The Police won’t touch him. We have also been helping a man whose wife was ripped off by a rogue she trusted. Again, the Police don’t want to know.

    Only if a fraudster rips off the state, a Freemason or someone mega rich will the boys in blue stir themselves.

    We mustn’t take the law into our own hands. It is the for the state to punish criminals. No-one else. If we don’t like the way the state goes about it, then we are free to lobby for change. That’s what we do in a democracy.

  • You’re right.

    Let’s just accept the pathetic sorry from Shoesmith.. hey its only another one baby’s death in a whole 8 years so no need to do the right thing and resign…

    As for the murderers, I am sure they will be fit for release in about 6 years.

    No worries. I’m off to watch TV.

  • If only we lived in a democracy…

  • Sean is spot on – for this one particualr crime ANYTHING thats happens to them is never going to be horrendous as what they did to that little DEFENCELESS baby. At least they can fight back when payback arives, but its not going to by baby they are up against next time!!!

  • Sesenco,

    I do agree with you.

    I should have qualified that statement to read “fraud against the state or a corporation”.

    I stand corrected.

    However, when we get a true democracy please let me know.

  • If people start taking the law into their own hands, we will end up with a free-for-all where the most powerful inevitably emerge on top. If you actually want the Wild West, then fine. But I don’t think any of the contributors to this thread really do want to live in a warlord state, so perhaps they should be more serious about their thinking.

  • What about the comments from ex-cons that appeared recently on TV (unfortunately I forget which program) that stated how much prison has changed after the last few years?
    Let alone numerous other reports. All lies?

    Also, its no good condemning one form of punishment without having a suitable one in mind… You know what the courts will do, if thats not good enough what is? Its very easy to say its for the courts or state to decide… you forget the state is the servant of the citizens (well its supposed to be anyway).

  • The Real World 2008 18th Nov '08 - 5:57pm

    I am with Sean on this, just those 3 individuals.

    And no offence meant to Darrell, but public are sick and tired of people like those 3 get off lightly for such a horrendous crime.

  • Darrell,

    with all due respect.
    The criminal justice system is a joke in the UK.

    Where else in the world would a court even consider allowing prisoners to sue because they do not have access to hardcore pornography (to a sex offender no less) or be sued by drug addicts by not allowing them heroin in prison?
    Only the UK in my mind.

    And these are the same courts being put in charge of punishing these individuals!

    I honestly cannot say anymore than that to illustrate how pathetic it is!

  • This story absolutley discusts me! I cannot belive that ANY parent would treat their own flesh and blood in this way! It is appauling that no-one spoke up sooner and saved this beautiful, little boy from these monsters! I seriously hope that these three animals do not get off lightly with say; a 10 year sentence. They deserve to be locked away FOREVER and the key thrown away for what they have put this little boy through!

  • Catherine Gunn 18th Nov '08 - 6:25pm

    It absoutely disgusts me that not only was his mother and other two torturers were able to get away with this utterly sick crime but as too does the gross misconduct of the doctors, health experts, social workers and other supposed ‘experts.’ The mother, stepfather and as I just found out, ‘paedophile lodger’ should not be convicted for this crime, they should be tortured to death just as this little toddler was. It seems to me that the only one who cared about this little boy ws in fact Ann, the childminder employed by the government to look after him as a ‘cheapo solution.’ Rest in Peace little angel. Many people say this when someone dies but it certainly is true and quite an understatement in this case but he’s definitely in a better place.

  • kayleigh johnson and lois kenny 18th Nov '08 - 6:39pm

    when i read the stories of baby p, i was disgusted, these beings have no right to be alive, a young sweet helpless child found dead and for the boyfriend no concern at all. what a heartless man.I personally think these people should be tortured in the same way as baby p was!People these days cant be trusted with a child anymore.

    im glad that baby p is now in a safe place 🙂

  • Ive done nothing but cry since i read about this horrific story. The suffering that poor baby went through was torture! I feel so helpless for the poor children that suffer at the hands of maniacs! Its times like this i wish the death penalty was back! Either that or tortune them to death and see how they handle it? I find it rather strange that all these people missed the obvious signs! That makes them all as bad as the parents as they have added to poor baby P death. The fact that this child was tortured for pure pleasure is beyond me! All that baby ever deserved was love and warmth and it pains me that he will never be able to have this. Also the mother has gone onto have another child! I just hope to god that they see sense and dont let the maniac anywhere need the child! We’re suppose to put our trust in these people to make the right decisions, seems to me like all they care about is a pay packet rather than the life of a pure innocent child. I look at my own child and think… how can anyone be so cruel & insane? Wherever baby p is i hope he’s now at peace.

  • Just to add to my earlier comment, the mother should be made infertile same as the maniac men involved! Theres warm and loving people all over the world trying to have children to show there kids the world then theres dirty slags like Baby P’s mum who allows her child to be tortured! Just disgraceful! The maniacs need torturing ! Hung, Drawn and quartered sounds perfect to me!

  • David Allen 18th Nov '08 - 7:15pm

    Lesley Heron said:

    “The reality here mate is that people hurt and want to hurt back those that hurt that baby. Whether it is meant or not is something you can take up individually but you are wasting your time. It is grief and Grief is expressed in all manners.”

    Well, I do understand why people have such feelings of “grief”. I also think that they are very dangerous feelings. Darrell and Alix and others have spelt out the reasons. We must have the rule of law, not the vigilante mob.

    But I don’t think we as Lib Dems should just leave it there. We may disagree very strongly with people like Lesley, but I don’t think we can or should just ignore what she feels.

    Tough sentences have to be part of the answer. Now generally, as a Lib Dem, I don’t like to see many long sentences. For one thing, they cost a lot of money. There are other things to spend that money on which would be more effective in stopping crime. But in cases like this, no. There should never be early release.

  • No long time ago after i watched the lastest of the saga of this sick movie call Hostal i said to one of my flat mates that it would be unthinkable to deserved a penalty or tourture like the ones showed in the film;., But after have seen what this savage animals have done to this little angel., i retract myself, they should deserved be torture in such way as shown in these films becouse that is how EVILS LIKE;.., JASON OWEN AND HIS ACCOMPLICES deserved to be PUNISHED THE ARE NOT EVEN CLOSE TO ANIMALS AND DO NOT DESERVED EVEN TO BREATH., I HOPE YOU ROTTEN SOULS BURN IN HELL!!

    And for you little angel thousand of kisses and hugies ;, you deserved all the love that you didnt have in this sensless place,.; be happy litlle babyP
    xxx

  • wat sickens me is that people around the world are not aloud 2 hav kids but the “mother” who abused baby p was aloud kids and she abused him, and its social services fault for not reacting quick enough to solf this.

  • REST IN PEACE BABY P XXX U KEPP SMILING X

  • for starters 8 brokenribs,broises and …
    how could social sevices not notice

  • i wud love it if we could arrange sum way of raisin money 2 giv baby peter a gravestone wiv his name on,it broke my heart 2 hear wot happend 2 him then 2 hear his ashes wer jus scatterd n he only ad 1 clown toy n 2 bunches of flowers was sole distroyin i think we shud giv him sumwer beautiful 2 lay he deserves it the poor little man,if any1 nos of anyway we can get it up and runnin please reply 2 this msg thank u xxx

  • I have read through the majority of the comments from various people and agree that torture for people who are 100 per cent guilty of child abuse to this degree should undoubtobly be in place. Its time to get real with these people, lets face it a prison sentence is nothing to worry about when these places are better than Butlins etc. They end up with a better existence inside with no bills to pay, no food to buy!!! it goes on and on. The tax payer will always be paying for this. It’s no wonder prisons are overcrowded at this rate. Britain is the ghetto, population soaring,immigration out of control, where does it all stop. People with moral standards seem to be rapidly dissapearing. Do government bodies really care about whats going on? probably not when they reside to their castles in the countryside. Bring in punishment for these crimes as people don’t like pain. A stay at the local prison will never be the answer.!!!!

  • Oh and to Mathew Huntbach, u say that the social workers are under pressure, of course thay are but thats part of the job and obviously they should not take all children into care to be safer rather than sorry, BUT Baby P;s case was extreme! It was blatently obvious to the police and 1 social worker that he was being abused! I mean 9 trips to the hospital with injuries that could not match the mothers story? How much more evidence did they need? Stop sticking up for them they cocked it up big time and the child could have been saved had they just listened to all the evidence SCREAMING at them!!!!!

  • nicola fittes 18th Nov '08 - 8:35pm

    gary, do u know any social workers yourself? have you forgotton that this isnt the first time this has happened to a child in haringey and same social workers were involved. a childs life is precious, if every child that was at risk of violent abuse was to be taken from the parents then the child would still be alive, yeah for your information i did go to c the mother over the road,

  • nicola fittes 18th Nov '08 - 8:37pm

    here here gerri, glad someone is on my wave lenght

  • Vicky I think we should try and do something to get a headstone for this child who saw no love, If any one has any ideas please reply with ways!

  • nicola fittes 18th Nov '08 - 8:52pm

    why dont we try and get big companys to donate money to help get this headstone for baby p. there must be a way to start up a charity and have proper licence to do it.

  • yeah i think we should, i think that its touched us all. i cant stop crying for a child i never knew, but if I had I would have given him a lifetimes worth of love to make up for what those sick twisted excuse for a human beings did to him!!!
    There must be a way I have contacted a paper to see if they could help!

  • nicola fittes 18th Nov '08 - 9:08pm

    gerrie, thats great which paper was it. i tell u something gerrie there are alot of people on here who seem to defend the social workers and its starting to piss me off. im just pleased people like you and others think the same way as me.

  • Sean wrote:

    “And these are the same courts being put in charge of punishing these individuals!”

    No they are not.

    Judicial review is normally dealt with by the Administrative Court, which is comprised of Queens Bench judges specialist in public law. Serious crimes are tried in the Crown Court, which is presided over either by a Circuit Judge or by a High Court Judge, who will be drawn from the Queens Bench Division and will be specialist in criminal law, criminal evidence and criminal litigation and sentencing.

    Now, Sean, name me one prisoner who has succeeded in persuading the Administrative Court that his prison governor has acted ultra vires by prohibiting him from having illegal drugs or pornography in his cell? Actions of that kind get very short shrift, believe me.

    If you want to know about a criminal justice system that is excessively lenient (ours isn’t), take a look at Austria. Imagine what would have happened to Joseph Fritzl in this country if he had broken into a lady’s bedroom and raped her. He could have got life. In Austria, he got one year only and had his record expunged.

    Don’t believe the garbage you read in the tabloids, Sean.

  • this poor 17 month old boy baby p didnt deserve this. babys mother, stepfather n the lodger should be send down 4 life. this is sick in the head. im a mother myself n no mother should be that sick to even think about hurting their children.

    and as for the doctor n the social workers they should be sewed because they didnt do their job properly .

    all of these people should die painfully just like baby p did. n they should all rot in hell.

    r.i.p. baby p u will always b remembered. xxx

  • Gerri and Vicky, to donate the money for Baby P headstone is a good idea. I believe we all own at least this to this beautiful boy!

  • >TO MOUSE,

    >I’d appreciate it if this did not turn into personal attacks.

    ????? I missed the bit where I made a personal attack on anyone.
    The ‘you’ was a generic one – less clumsy than saying: ‘If one human being is prepared to torture another human being, then what does that make the first human being?’
    The answer being that it makes them someone who is willing to commit sickening violence.

  • I just want to ask all the officials who were supposed to protect this helpless baby, HOW MANY NON-ACCIDENTAL INJURIES DOES A CHILD HAVE TO AQUIRE BEFORE HE NEEDS TO BE MOVED TO SAFETY? I am a mother of six and although all my children at some point have fallen over, banged their heads and had scraps with other kids not one of them has ever had black eyes or as a toddler scratches and bruises like baby p had, it seems unbelievable to me that the authorities involved were so easily lied to, excuse after excuse about how baby p got his injuries and why werent they followed up, his evil mother claimed he was pushed by another child was this checked, i think not. And would someone out there tell me why the scums identity is being protected and will we ever get to find out!

  • I notice that we are still being lumbered with this ridiculous charade of not mentioning the names of two of the three culprits. In this so-called “free” country of ours.

    What else are we not being told?

    Well, some of the facts.

    For instance, the media reports of the trial referred to Jason Owen as a “lodger”. Now we discover that he is in fact the older brother of Mr X (though with a different surname) and that he was a gratuitous licensee (ie, not a lodger). Why the deception?

    What else are we not being told?

  • thoughts wrote:

    “why are their identities protected”

    Because we are ruled by paternalists who don’t trust us with the truth.

    Eventually, the gagging order will have to be lifted because the truth will be known to so many people that it will no longer be a secret.

    Remember Attorney-General v Jonathan Cape? Margaret Thatcher tried to suppress the publication of Peter Wright’s book, “Spycatcher”, in the United Kingdom, but ultimately failed. The House of Lords decided that so many people had been able to obtain copies of the book that the confidentiality had been destroyed – and lifted the injunction.

    Let all of us tell our friends and acquaintances who these child-killers are. Let’s spread a bit of truth around.

    This is about free speech and open justice. Without both, we are doomed as a civilised society.

  • people are talking about money!?
    a child’s life has been lost here, not matter how much money it takes to save a baby’s life, it should be saved.
    for the parents, i dont know how they can sleep at night, hang, cut their fingers off or something.
    r.i.p baby p

  • Everyone says – “rest in peace little man. i hope that you have gone to a better place?” etc.,

    How can anyone say that – he is dead! He will not be able to enjoy any life, feel any peace! He hasn’t had the chance!

  • i dont think his mother, step father and the lodger deserve to be given the title “human”

  • do you no what im fuming that people can actually sit there and take time to write shit how social services are under paid and under pressure, they choose that career path to help look after and protect vunerable children, and im EVER so sorry to say but Haringay stuffed up big time on this one and the docs did and i couldnt give a shit as to how pressurised they were 60 BASTARD visits, all those hospital visits and not ONE person did anything to help that little boy, he didnt even have a proper funeral…… someone explain to me then HOW the hell did he ever deserve this?????? i wonder if these so called professionals have children of their own…..

  • nicola and gerri glad you think the same as me….

  • Oh my life, this shocks me so much, how the hell could anyone possibly even think about doing that to an inecent little boy? Its angered me so much. I cried when i read the story, im just so lucky to have good parents. Imagine how it felt for him, he was rejected by his own mother and step-father if you can even call them that. I really cannot believe it and was speechless when i heard about it. It’s more than out of order it’s outrageous, they deserve what they get in prison, as im sure everybody agrees!!

  • I can’t beleive that the parents got off so lightly, They deffently should be tortured for what they did to poor baby P. An innocent child could not be examined properly because he was crying well for a start should that not show a sign that the poor baby must of been in agony? I hope the parents of baby P has horrible night mares for the rest of there lives she should not be aloud to live. As for the social workers, well I know what like they, and to be polite I will say they are useless.

  • It’s annoying that Liberal Democrats in Haringey Borough don’t have their own website, on occasions like this it would be interesting to get some first hand-information.

  • my 17mth old little boy is my world and i look at him ever day with so much joy and happiness and i feel so lucky and proud to have him in my life, both me and my partner as sickened and saddened at how these so called human beings, which they are far far far from that could of been and have been allowed to get away with what they have done… i was watching the news tonight and again was in floods of tiers cos i cant imagine for 1 minute HOW on earth they can sleep at night knowing what they have done…… and each and everyone of the social workers should be locked up and the keys thrown away, and they should never ever be allowed to go near another child again

  • There is no ideal solution to establish a fair and just punishment for these animals. I can’t decide in my own mind what i see as justice – is it throwing them to the “mob”? Life imprisonment? Castration? Torture? Death penalty? Many seem disillusioned with our legal system and the punishment these murders will recieve; are we to vote as a nation upon what is or isnt justice? All we can do is voice our opinions and hope they are read by those with the power to decide upon a worthy sentence.

  • i think this is wrong. i want to be a social worker myself but this does not give social workers a good name at all. how could they not notice how neglected and abused this young boy was! mothers like this should not be able to have kids!

  • i am absolutely appalled and upset by this little babys death when i heard about it i started to cry and i looked at my little brother who is 2 years old and looks exactly like baby p and actually wondered how someone could actually do this to a baby…i am only 16 years old and if i had a baby at my age i would try my best to give that baby the best out of life so how the hell does a 25 year old or however old she is not know how look after a baby and care for that poor little defenceless child ….how the **** did nobody notice this childs pain or how did they not pick up on the injuries he had a neighbour or residents must have heard little baby p’s cries of pain so why not try and help him before it was too late …well i hope that the people involved in this get what they deserve and if you are one of the people who did notice something and didnt say i hope your ashamed of yourself….R.I.P BABY P XXXXXXX

  • To nicola fittes,
    Where are you thinking of putting this headstone? I don’t think baby P has a grave. I believe there was a simple service (before any of this tragic story was publicly known) in a park somewhere in London, I don’t know where. I think he was cremated and his ashes sprinkled under an oak tree in the park. I think a memorial plaque on that tree might be a nice thing to do?
    Does everyone know about the blue balloons being released outside 10 Downing Street in December? You can release (or send) one with your own message on it for Baby P. Please go to this site: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=39559041804&ref=share
    Like many, I’ve never been so moved and affected by any child abuse story like this; and as I said in my other post, I will not forget this little boy. That last picture of him with his shorn hair and with his fingers in his mouth really upsets me. He’d been through so much by then, and his chocolate smeared little face looks so bewildered and lost. It’s just too upsetting. God Bless you now little one. You can now giggle and smile and play and learn and be loved for ever and ever.
    Jeffrey xxx

  • I am a father of a 4 yr old and a 1 yr old; and I just cannot believe the atrocities committed against Baby P.

    Death penalty is the only solution to prevent such future atrocities. How can one even allow such devils to breathe another breath?

  • why is everyone arguing over who was responsible? as a society we are ALL responsible. this is a tragedy that should have each and everyone of us hanging our heads in shame. i am so heartbroken, my 4 children don’t understand why i woke them up one at a time last night and hugged them and kissed them and tucked them back in with special prayers. I hope to go to heaven when I die, if only to see baby p, to give him some of the love he never got here on earth, to hold him and pet him and to kiss away his hurts. I thank God, that in his infinite wisdom, he took this child home where no one can ever hurt him again. Were you one of the people who turned away from this child in obvious trouble, saying that this was not your problem? because it is. and because of the system, it could easily have been your child, your grandchild, your nephew, your neighbor. we should all be begging His forgiveness for allowing this to happen. you. the lady on the bus who looked away. you. the man at the grocery who saw the bruises and turned away. you. the social worker who was too busy to put this child’s welfare first. you. the cop who felt it was wrong leaving the kid there but doing it anyway. you. the doctor who did not take the time to properly look over a child whose cries were obviously cries of pain. you. and you. and you. and me.

  • Geri, i feel exactly the same, i can’t stop thinking about this beautiful little boy and burst into tears everytime i do! I was thinking the exact same thing last night about raising money for a headstone but was stuck on ways to do it At least if he was given that much his life would have counted for something! As for the comments from other people about social services being “under pressure” this is their job! Its there responsibility to realise when a child is being abused, broken ribs, broken neck, hospital trips! Not to mention the reports from police officers & the child minder! Come on, they failed that poor baby big time! Yes the maniacs that did this are to blame but so are the people that had the power to save him!

  • I have just listened and watched George meehan’s heartfelt and unreserved apology!!!! If that was heartfelt then he should be ashamed of himself. He miserably stumbled most of the words reading from a4 paper that was probably written for him by somebody who’s writing he couldn’t read. He only managed to look up once or twice and had no real emotion in his voice. he could have been talking about anything. Hope he dont think that he put anything right by his little pathetic performance.

  • to all you people STILL sticking up for Social Services. Are you thick? Of course it was the mothers fault and the two men who did this BUT Social Services are there for people who suffer at the hands of these sickos. Why else are they there? They messed up! Face it they are well paid unlike nurses and the such who have to be there for the community. Of course there is pressure but thats part of the job! The evidence was SO obvious and they chose to ignore it, if they hadnt this baby could have been saved! So stop going on that Social Workers have it hard, of course they do but so does the rest of the world, especiallly little abused kids like Baby P! He had it hard all his short life!

    Please again any ideas for some kind of memorial let me know

  • Linda even though people are saying RIP baby p even though he is dead and will never be peaceful anymore it makes it easier for us i think, i am in no way a religous person and i don’t believe in God but when i hear things like this to innocent young babies it upsets me so much and makes me hope there is a god looking after him now and he is ok, to think that he was tortured to death and thats it for him is just heartbreaking (probably the truth but heartbreaking for me) so when i say RIP i’m hoping there is something else out there, they way i hope there is a hell for these 3 people where they will be in agonising pain for eternity
    Why can’t you let me say the names of these 3 people i know their names and they should not be kept secret
    Jeffrey, Vicki & Linda we should defo get something organise to get a headstone for this poor child, he had nothing in life and in death, he deserves it, i really can’t understand why his biological father hasn’t done this? is he really poor or does he not care? i know he released a statment but there is a lot of questions unanswered i have for him

  • kyomi.. sharnie 19th Nov '08 - 9:37am

    no child should be tourchered like that. the parents should have a very slow death. and we blame the social services, they should have noticed the abuse the parents were giving. it is discracefull. it just shows thst the social services don’t do their job propaply.
    r.i.p

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