Child abusers will face life behind bars if new plans for tougher sentences are approved.
The move follows a campaign by MP Tom Tugendhat and seven-year-old Tony Hudgell’s family, after the youngster had both his legs amputated because of abuse suffered at the hands of his birth parents.
Maximum punishments for a range of child cruelty offences are among a series of measures ministers want to add to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill currently going through Parliament.
The changes, dubbed Tony’s Law, were welcomed by the boy’s adopted mother Paula Hudgell.
She said that more had to be done to protect vulnerable children and the planned tougher sentences are for ‘Tony and all the babies and children that suffered or lost their lives at the hands of their abusers’.
Tony was attacked when he was a baby and left with broken fingers and toes, plus torn ligaments in his legs.
The injuries were left untreated and he was in agony for 10 days.
It meant that both his legs had to be amputated and Tony is now wheelchair-bound.
His birth parents were sentenced to the current maximum jail term of 10 years.
But under the tougher planned sentences, anyone who causes or allows the death of a child or vulnerable adult in their care looks set to face up to life imprisonment, rather than the current 14-year maximum.
The plans would see the maximum penalty for child cruelty causing or allowing serious physical harm increase from 10 years to 14 years.
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Meanwhile the punishment for the crime of cruelty to a person under 16 will rise from 10 to 14 years’ imprisonment.
In a statement, Ms Hudgell said: ‘We are delighted that Tony’s Law is being backed by the Government.
‘It’s been our hope since those who abused our son were jailed in 2018 that more could be done to protect other children, the most vulnerable members of our society.
‘I can’t thank the public enough for the support they have shown through this nearly four-year campaign, but especially thanks to Tom Tugendhat who has worked tirelessly with me, also my friend Julia Roberts, a court reporter, and my friends and family it was definitely a team effort.’
Tony has gone on to help others with a fundraising walking challenge.
He set out to raise £500 for the hospital that saved his life by walking 10km in 30 days on his prosthetic legs, but ended up raising more than £1 million.
The move comes 14 years after the death of ‘Baby P’ Peter Connolly, in a horrific child abuse case which shocked the nation.
Dominic Raab, the Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister, said the changes were needed because ‘the law must provide maximum protection to the most vulnerable and no-one is more vulnerable than a young child.’
He added: ‘I pay tribute to the courage of young Tony Hudgell and his adoptive parents, Paula and Mark.’
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