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The Co Antrim social worker at the centre of the Baby Peter scandal has been blamed for not passing to the police a video of the child’s mother talking about her violent boyfriend.
According to a BBC investigation, the council at the heart of the Baby Peter scandal should have known the mother had a new boyfriend more than four months before the toddler’s death.
Social workers from Haringey Council maintained they never suspected the mother was harbouring a violent boyfriend in the house.
But a Panorama investigation has uncovered footage taken by the council in which the mother talks about a “very good friend” for whom she cooked a Valentine’s Day dinner.
The council told the BBC responsibility for deciding what information was given to detectives lay with former director of children’s services Sharon Shoesmith, who is originally from Newtownabbey, and her former deputy Cecilia Hitchen.
But Mrs Shoesmith and her deputy declined to comment.
In March 2007, the mother was filmed as the subject of an academic study, two weeks after the mother’s estranged husband warned social workers that she had a new boyfriend, the BBC said.
The mother’s boyfriend moved into her home in November 2006 although his presence was kept from police and social workers.
She was arrested the following month after bruises were spotted on the boy’s face and he was placed on the child protection register. Panorama said police investigating Peter’s injuries in the months before he died were never told about the video.
The video was also never shown to detectives investigating the boy’s death or to the jury at the Old Bailey trial.
Panorama: Baby P: The Whole Truth? will be shown on BBC One at 8.30pm.
