Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Mum ‘shocked’ to learn of abuser’s release from jail
Birth parent who tortured little Tony set free
The adoptive mum of a boy tortured by his birth parents says she is “shocked” to learn his abusive birth mother has been freed.
Jody Simpson, previously of Canterbury and Whitstable, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2018 after leaving little Tony Hudgell, who is now eight, so badly injured he needed to have both legs amputated. Justice secretary Dominic Raab conceded the 29-year-old’s release could not be further delayed by a Court of Appeal challenge.
On Friday, a senior judge ruled she should be released following Mr Raab’s acceptance he could not successfully challenge a High Court ruling which quashed his decisions to refer Simpson’s case to the Parole Board.
Tony’s adoptive mother Paula Hudgell, 55, from Kings Hill near West Malling, told the PA news agency she had been unaware of Friday’s hearing, and was informed of its outcome by a victim liaison officer.
“I was pretty shocked to be told that she was going to be released,” she said.
“We knew at the end of the day that she would be released at some point.
“We now just have to prepare Tony and do all we can for him. It doesn’t change anything for him at all.”
Mrs Hudgell says Tony faces “daily challenges” but is a “very happy, joyful eight-year-old”.
She said she is “very thankful” to Mr Raab and his officials for pursuing his bid to delay Simpson’s release.
“I feel they’ve done everything they possibly could to try and change things,” she said, adding:“we appreciate every extra day that she spent in prison from August as a bonus.” Simpson was due for release on licence in August, at the halfway point of her sentence.
But her case was personally referred to the Parole Board by Mr Raab under new discretionary powers designed to protect the public from dangerous offenders.
In December, following a legal challenge by Simpson, a High
Court judge ruled the minister’s bid to delay her release was unlawful and his decisions to refer her case should be quashed.
The judge said Simpson should be “released on conditional licence within a reasonable time”. Previously proposed conditions to be imposed on Simpson if she were released included not to communicate with Tony or his family, not to have unsupervised contact with children under 16 without prior approval, and to observe a nightly curfew. Tony was 41 days old when he was assaulted by his birth parents, an attack which caused multiple fractures, dislocations and blunt trauma to the face, leading to organ failure, toxic shock and sepsis.
He was left untreated and in agony for 10 days and, due to the extent of his injuries, both his legs had to be amputated. A jury of seven women and five men took less than an hour to return unanimous verdicts on the pair who were jailed at Maidstone Crown Court in February 2018.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “Public safety is our top priority which is why the Deputy Prime Minister referred this case to the Parole Board and introduced Tony’s Law to make sure those who commit unthinkable crimes against children are brought to justice. “High-risk offenders like Jody Simpson are closely monitored by both the police and the Probation Service and can be sent back to prison if they breach their strict licence conditions.”
‘We knew at the end of the day that she would be released at some point...’