THE EVIL dad of brave double-amputee Tony Hudgell is set to be released from prison – just days after the youngster’s birth mother was let out of jail, it can be revealed.
A parole board hearing has decided Anthony Smith, 53, can be released after serving just seven years of his 10-year sentence.
Tony Hudgell had to have surgery to help him walk unaided[/caption]
Anthony Smith, 53, can be released after serving just seven years of his 10-year sentence[/caption]
He was jailed in 2018 after his baby son, Tony, now 10, was discovered to be in a critical condition having suffered a litany of terrible injuries.
Medics had to remove the tot’s legs below the knee.
Tony, the youngest ever recipient of the British Empire Medal for his fundraising efforts, was only 41 days old at the time of the abuse and continues to suffer from the effects of his parent’s cruelty.
The decision comes in the same week Tony’s cruel birth mum Jody Simpson, 33, was released from jail.
A Parole Board summary of Smith’s hearing revealed he will face strict license conditions upon his release, including wearing a GPS tag and a curfew.
The panel heard that there would be extensive supervision of Smith under the proposed release plan.
The panel concluded this plan would be “robust enough to manage him in the community.”
The summary said : “After considering the circumstances of his offending, the progress made while in custody, the recommendations of the witnesses, and the evidence presented at the hearing, the panel was satisfied that imprisonment was no longer necessary for the protection of the public.”
Other licence conditions include having to comply with other identified limitations concerning contacts, activities and residency to avoid contact with victims, and to protect children in general.
He will also have to meet specified restrictions relating to the use of mobile phones.
Tony’s adopted mum Paula Hudgell, 57, does not believe the conditions go far enough.
The anti-child cruelty campaigner from West Malling, Kent, said: “Another of Tony’s remorseless birth parents is now going to be living free – while the boy they harmed deals with life-long injuries.
“He will be on licence, and I appreciate that he will be monitored, but after that licence expires he will do what he did while on bail and disappear.
“We know he uses aliases, we know he is a danger to children and yet he won’t be tracked past the expiration of his licence.
“In my opinion he has shown absolutely no remorse for what he did to Tony – none at all – he remains a dangerous, violent person.
“This is why I keep continuing the campaign to introduce the Child Cruelty Register so we can keep track of people who could do harm to more kids.
“It’s not just about Smith or Simpson, it’s about making sure child abusers are prevented from harming innocent children.”
Smith, along with Tony’s birth mum Jody Simpson, 33, was convicted of causing or allowing a child to sustain an injury and neglect by failing to seek immediate medical attention and sentenced to 10 years in jail.
Doctors discovered baby Tony had multiple catastrophic injuries to his tiny body – with both his birth parents failing to get him help before it was almost too late.
Medical staff at Evelina London Children’s Hospital saved the tot’s life, but he had to have both legs amputated at the knee as a result of his injuries when he was four-years-old, and has faced countless operations in the years that followed.
Simpson was released from prison earlier this week, after serving only around six years of her sentence.
But after two years on licence she, like Smith, will face no conditions on her freedom.
The evil mum was first released from prison on license in February 2023 – after only serving five years of her sentence.
Then, less than a year later in May 2024, the monster was recalled to prison after starting a relationship with a sex offender – in breach of her conditions.
She was due to be automatically re-released earlier this year, but Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood stepped in – forcing Simpson to face a parole hearing on May 19.
The cruel parent has now been released, with strict license conditions controlling what she does for the next couple of years.
She will have to report any new relationships to her probation officer, get regularly drug tested and will be GPS tagged.
At the time, Paula said: “It just feels very unfair that Simpson is now free to live her life and Tony is still dealing with the consequences of her actions and will be for life.
“I appreciate there is a prison overcrowding crisis and that the Parole Board has placed strict conditions on her, but it does not feel like enough.
“After her license expires in two years’ time she will be completely free to do whatever she wants – including getting in a situation where she could cause harm to more children.”
He will also have to meet specified restrictions relating to the use of mobile phones[/caption]
The evil mum was first released from prison on license in February 2023[/caption]
