The monster in our midst

12 August 2009

GUILTY OF ALLOWING TOT TO DIE: Jason Owen.

A 'MONSTER' jailed for his part in causing Baby P's horrific death has been revealed as the brother of the toddler's stepfather.

The revelation came after a court order banning identification of the tot's mother Tracey Connelly, 28, and her boyfriend Steven Barker, 33, ran out on Tuesday.

Jason Owen, 37, who lived in a council house in Wittersham Road, Bromley, before fleeing to North London with his 15-year-old girlfriend, changed his name after a family row.

He was convicted of causing or allowing the death of 18-month-old Baby Peter who had over 50 injuries including a broken back at the time of his death in August 2007.

Upon the expiry of the order, a catalogue of horrors about Owen, nicknamed 'Fat Boy' as a child, came to light including allegations that he and his brother, who their own father David Price labelled 'monsters', tortured their grandmother to make her change her will.

The case was dropped because 82-year-old Hilda Barker died before any trial but Owen had already been convicted of arson after setting fire to his own flat in an insurance scam. The crack-addict was also accused of raping an 11-year-old girl when he was just 13.

He moved into the house where Baby P lived with Connelly and Barker in Haringey with his teen lover because there were people "after him" around Bromley and south London.

Speaking on Tuesday, neighbours said lots of different people would come and go from the house in Wittersham Road.

Margaret Manning, 76, of Rangefield Road, said: "They looked like down-and-outs. There were always people in and out." Nobody connected to Owen lives at the address anymore.

During the Baby P trial claims were made that he had split from his family because of sex abuse allegations and over threatening phone calls to his sister.

After the death of the toddler, Owen helped to dispose of the bed sheets and baby clothes by dumping them in the canal.

He then went on the run from police and hid for nearly two weeks in Epping Forest. He was arrested on August 15 2007, blaming his brother for the injuries in police interviews.

At first he was accused of allowing the death of a child, but in November 2007 he was charged with murder, which was later dropped. He was found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child in November last year at the Old Bailey and given an indeterminate sentence, although he was told he would be eligible for parole in three years.

Because of the lack of direct evidence against him, Owen was given conditional bail while awaiting trial but this was changed halfway through the case after police received information that Owen was making an application for a passport. He was arrested and remained in custody for the rest of the trial.

Kate Nelson