A VILE dad who left his son with such horrific injuries that his legs had to be amputated should not be allowed out of jail early, the Shadow Justice Secretary has blasted.
Anthony Smith, 54, and his partner Jody Simpson, 33, were both jailed after little Tony Hudgell, now 10, was abused so badly as a baby that he ended up with multiple catastrophic injuries to his legs, hips and face.
Smith was jailed for 10 years in 2018 but could get out of prison early if the Parole Board deem he is no longer a risk to the public.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick has written to Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood to call for her to step in and urge the Parole Board to keep him locked up.
The Sun revealed last week that Simpson is now due to be released from prison imminently after it was ruled that she was no longer a risk to the public.
Tony has been recognised with national awards after he raised more than £1.8 million for the hospital which saved his life.
At the age of five, he challenged himself to walk every day in June to raise money for Evelina London Children’s Charity, inspired by Captain Tom.
In a joint letter signed by Jenrick, Shadow Solicitor General Helen Grant, and Shadow Minister for Justice Dr Kieran Mullan, they wrote: “Last week the Parole Board authorised the release of Jody Simpson, whose extreme violent attack caused her infant son to lose both of his legs.
“The Board will now consider Anthony Smith, the boy’s father and co-offender in this despicable crime, at a hearing fixed for 19th June.
“Tony Hudgell was forty-one days old when Smith and Simpson fractured his limbs, withheld medical care for ten days and caused injuries so grave that doctors were forced to amputate.
“At its most recent review in 2023 the Board found Smith impulsive, chaotic and unremorseful.
“No material now before the public points to any improvement.
“Tony will live with the consequences for life.
“If the man who inflicted those appalling injuries is released back into society after serving little more than two-thirds of his sentence, confidence in the justice system will erode.
“Parliament designed the sentencing and release regime to protect the public, not to serve an offender’s timetable.
“We therefore urge you, as the statutory party to these proceedings, to scrutinise the dossier personally and to place clear, evidence-based representations before the Board before 19 June.
“The safety of vulnerable children – and public trust in our justice system – depend on it.”
Tony’s birth mother Simpson had been due for automatic release before the Justice Secretary stepped in and forced her to face a parole hearing.
But despite her intervention, Simpson is set to walk free from prison and will spend just two years on license.
Paula Hudgell, who adopted Tony as a baby, previously told The Sun: “We knew this was coming after being at the parole hearing and in light of what the Government is doing to ease prison crowding, so it was expected.
If the man who inflicted those appalling injuries is released back into society after serving little more than two-thirds of his sentence, confidence in the justice system will erode.
Robert Jenrick
“The frustration for us is that she will be on license for two years and then will be able to live a happy life, whereas Tony will have life-long problems because of her and Anthony Smith’s actions.
“We made the change with Tony’s law and now future cases are supposed to get lengthier sentences.
“But with the Government’s new policy to release prisoners including child abusers and paedophiles early it sort of makes a mockery of that new sentencing power.
“We are grateful that Shabana Mahmood stepped in and blocked her from being released without a parole hearing, that meant she was in prison longer than she would have been otherwise, but it just feels wrong that she should be free while Tony has to live with the consequences of her actions for life.
“All the politicians we speak to on both sides know about Tony’s case, which I think has helped.
“They all know the story and see that despite his limitations Tony is still just a normal 10-year-old boy who just wants to do all the things normal 10-year-old boys do.
“I think that has helped our campaign, and now we just want to use that to make sure child abusers are properly punished.”
