View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Media Law
October 9, 2015

Prison officer who sold Daily Mirror stories about Baby P mother Tracey Connelly is jailed

A former prison officer who sold tips to the Daily Mirror about the mother of the murdered child known as Baby P has been jailed for 12 weeks.

Joseph de Souza, 51, was paid £950 for information that led to four stories in the tabloid, three of them about Tracey Connelly's time behind bars at HMP Holloway.

She was jailed for allowing her 17-month-old son to be tortured to death. 

De Souza's dealings with the Daily Mirror between March 2007 and March 2009 were uncovered as part of Operation Elveden's wide-ranging inquiries into payments by journalists.

De Souza, of Manger Road, Holloway, north London, was charged with misconduct in a public office in June this year and pleaded guilty to the offence at the Old Bailey last month.

His newspaper contact, Mirror reporter Victoria Ward, is not facing any charges.

Prosecutor Jake Hallam told the court today that the first story to appear in the Daily Mirror under the headline Bad Girls involved allegations of a sex scandal at the women's prison.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

The prison officers involved were later cleared of misconduct and the affair had a "profound effect" on them both professionally and personally, Hallam said.

The second stor,y headlined Tot Death Trial Mum Has Baby, for which de Souza was paid £200, was about Connelly having a baby in prison in March 2008 as she awaited trial.

There followed two more stories about her as she awaited sentence headlined Baby P Mother 'Let Me See My Newborn Child' and Baby P Evil Mum Cell Move.

De Souza was paid £300 and £250 for these stories, the court heard.

Hallam said the stories had a "wide-ranging" impact, undermining trust and morale, and were divisive within the Holloway community.

In mitigation, Kathy Ryan told the court that de Souza had lived an "exemplary life" and single-handedly brought up two children.

At the time of his offending, he was suffering from low morale in his job and was under financial strain, she said.

Jailing de Souza, Recorder Christopher Hehir QC also made a confiscation order of £1,118.26 plus £800 in prosecution costs.

At least 30 public officials have been convicted under Operation Elveden. Most were charged as a result of information shared with police by Sun publisher News UK.

Mirror publisher Trinity Mirror is also understood to have co-operated with police inquiries identifying paid sources in the public sector.

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network