One of the men responsible for causing the death of toddler Peter Connolly could be forced to give evidence at an inquest into his death, a coroner said today.
Steven Barker, the boyfriend of Peter Connelly’s mother Tracey, remained silent both while on trial for murder, a charge on which he was cleared, and a later trial for raping a two-year-old girl.
If an inquest goes ahead, he would finally have to answer questions about the toddler’s final moments however.
Peter was 17 months old when he died in Tottenham, north London, at the hands of Barker, his mother and Barker’s brother, Jason Owen, in August 2007.
All three were subsequently jailed for causing or allowing his death. Barker was also convicted of the sex attack on the girl.
Peter had suffered more than 50 injuries despite receiving 60 visits from social workers, doctors and police over an eight-month period.
North London coroner Andrew Walker, presiding over a hearing to determine whether or not an inquest should go ahead, would have the power to compel Barker to give evidence.
He told the pre-inquest review in High Barnet he could do so as long as Barker was found to be a “competent” witness, and added: “It seems to me he would be required, as would any other witness, to answer questions from this court.”
Peter’s father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is keen for an inquest to take place so he can finally find out exactly what happened to his son, the Coroner’s Court was told.
His barrister, Julien Foster, said he wants to know how his son ended up “living a life of filth in squalor” with bruises and fungal infections, and yet was allowed to stay in his mother’s care and deemed to be “happy and well-groomed”.
The coroner adjourned the case until November 30, when he will announce whether or not an inquest will go ahead.
Agencies