Ex-prison officer jailed for Baby P mother story tips

An ex-prison officer, who sold stories to the Daily Mirror about the mother of the abused toddler who became known as Baby P, has been jailed for 12 weeks.

Joseph de Souza, 51, was paid £950 for information about Tracey Connelly's time in prison at HMP Holloway.

Last month at the Old Bailey, De Souza, of Holloway, north London, admitted misconduct in a public office.

The information he passed on between March 2007 and March 2009 led to four stories in the paper, it heard.

His dealings with the paper were uncovered as part of Operation Elveden, the Metropolitan Police's investigation into alleged illegal payments made to police and public officials.

De Souza's newspaper contact, Mirror reporter Victoria Ward, is not facing any charges.

Peter Connelly, who became known as Baby P after his identity was initially protected, died in August 2007 with more than 50 injuries, despite having been on a social services "at-risk" register.

Connelly, of Haringey, north London, was jailed for a minimum of five years in 2009, external for causing or allowing the death of her son, who was 17 months old.

Peter had endured months of abuse.

Connelly's boyfriend Steve Barker was also jailed for 12 years for his involvement in Baby P's death, along with their lodger, Jason Owen, who was given an indefinite sentence, for the same charges.

Prosecutor Jake Hallam told the court that the first story linked to de Souza to appear in the Daily Mirror, under the headline Bad Girls, involved allegations of a sex scandal at Connelly's prison.

The prison officers involved were later cleared of misconduct, but the publicity had a "profound effect" on them both professionally and personally, Mr Hallam said.

The second story, headlined Tot Death Trial Mum Has Baby, for which de Souza was paid £200, was about Connelly having a baby in prison in March 2008 as she awaited trial.

There were two more stories about her as she awaited sentence, headlined Baby P Mother: "Let Me See My Newborn Child" and Baby P Evil Mum Cell Move.

De Souza was paid £300 and £250 for these stories, the court heard.

Mr Hallam said these stories undermined trust and morale.

In mitigation, Kathy Ryan told the court that de Souza had lived an "exemplary life" and had single-handedly brought up two children.

She added he had been suffering from low morale in his job and was under financial strain at the time of his offending.

Jailing de Souza, Recorder Christopher Hehir QC also made a confiscation order of £1,118.26p plus £800 in prosecution costs.