The boyfriend of Baby P’s mother was found guilty on Friday of raping a two-year-old girl.

The girl, like 17-month-old Baby P, had been on the child protection register of Haringey Council in north London.

Baby P, whose first name can now be reported as Peter, died in August 2007 at the hands of his mother, the boyfriend and their lodger.
The toddler’s death led to a nationwide review of child protection which recommended that overstretched children’s social workers should be given extra training to address problems in the system.

The girl gave evidence at the trial at the Old Bailey, becoming the youngest ever witness at the court, the Press Association reported.

The court was shown a 30-minute video of police interviewing her when she was three, in which she said the man had hurt her.
She was then cross-examined by defence lawyers and told them what she had said in the video was the truth.

The mother, who like her boyfriend cannot be named, was found not guilty of cruelty to the girl.
The mother and boyfriend were tried under false names to ensure a fair trial.

In November, the boyfriend and lodger Jason Owen were found guilty of causing or allowing Baby P’s death. His mother had pleaded guilty to the charge.
Judge Stephen Kramer told the couple it was likely there would be “very substantial sentences” in both cases.

“There is no doubt that Peter and this young girl suffered terribly at the hands of these people,” said Detective Chief Inspector Graham Grant after the verdict.

Police discovered the sexual abuse against the girl after they began their investigations into Baby P’s death, Grant said.
“It is telling that this man denied rape and in doing so forced a very young and vulnerable child to endure a daunting criminal process at the Old Bailey,” Grant added.

Baby P had suffered a broken back and over 40 horrific injuries during a campaign of domestic violence despite having been seen more than 60 times by police, doctors and social workers.

Sharon Shoesmith, head of Haringey’s children services, was sacked without compensation in December.

via Reuters.

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