Baby P's 'stepfather' found guilty of raping girl, two

Published on Friday 1 May 2009 20:28

BABY P's "stepfather" is facing a life sentence after being convicted yesterday of raping a two-year-old girl, who should have been protected by social workers.

The girl, like the 17-month-old youngster who can now be named as Peter, was on the Haringey Council child-protection register.

The rape allegation came to light after the 32-year-old man and Peter's 27-year-old mother were arrested over his death.

The mother was found not guilty yesterday at the Old Bailey in London of cruelty to the girl.

The couple cannot be identified for legal reasons and were tried under false names amid fears that an internet hate campaign would try to influence jurors.

The jury of eight men and four women had no idea of the defendants' true identities. They were told by Judge Stephen Kramer after they delivered their verdicts following three days of deliberations.

He said the couple were tried under false names to ensure that they received a fair trial.

There was no apparent reaction from the jurors after he revealed that they had been trying a case connected to Peter.

The man and woman were remanded in custody for sentencing on 21 and 22 May. The man will be sentenced for rape and for causing or allowing Peter's death in August 2007, along with the woman and lodger Jason Owen.

The convictions mean the judge will be able to pass a life sentence on the stepfather if he considers him to be a danger to the public. The mother and her lover, whom Peter knew as "Dad", lived in north London. They were cleared last November, along with Owen, 36, of Peter's murder.

The mother pled guilty to causing or allowing the death and the men were found guilty by a jury. The maximum sentence for the offence is 14 years.

Judge Kramer warned the couple yesterday: "The likelihood is of very substantial sentences in both cases."