04 May 2009 12:00

Haringey council has denied it knew about boyfriend, but video footage shows mother telling team manager

The council at the heart of the Baby Peter scandal should have known his mother had a new boyfriend more than four months before the toddler's death, according to a BBC investigation.

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.

In March 2007, the mother was filmed as the subject of an academic study, two weeks after her estranged husband warned social workers that she had a new boyfriend, the BBC said. The boyfriend moved into her home in November 2006, but his presence was kept from police and social workers. She was arrested the following month after bruises were spotted on her son's face and he was placed on the child protection register.

The video was made by Sue Gilmore, the senior team manager in charge of Peter's case, who told programme makers she put a note about the filmed interview on the boy's electronic file. Anyone accessing the system would have been able to see it.

Panorama said police investigating Peter's injuries in the months before he died were never told about the video or that it contained details of the boyfriend. The video was also never shown to detectives investigating the boy's death or to the jury at the Old Bailey trial.

The council told the BBC that responsibility for deciding what information was given to detectives lay with the former director of children's services, Sharon Shoesmith, and her former deputy, Cecilia Hitchen.

But Shoesmith and her deputy declined to comment.

Gilmore, who has since left the council, said she told police about the interview in January 2008.

A Metropolitan police spokesman said: "We were not made aware of video footage capturing or relating to defendants linked to the trial of Baby P."

The 32-year-old boyfriend, and lodger Jason Owen, 36, were convicted of causing or allowing 17-month-old Peter's death last November. The mother, 27, pleaded guilty to the same offence.

Last Friday, the boyfriend was also exposed as a paedophile who attacked a two-year-old girl. He was found guilty at the Old Bailey of raping the girl who, like Baby Peter, was on the Haringey at-risk register.

Peter was found dead in his blood-spattered cot with a broken back and fractured ribs. He had 50 injuries, despite having had 60 contacts with health and social workers over the final eight months of his life. His mother was arrested twice after injuries were spotted but managed to hoodwink officials and was not charged until he died.

Peter suffered months of ill treatment, culminating in his death after a punch in the mouth knocked one of his teeth down his throat. His death brought an outpouring of public emotion and criticism of care workers. The government stepped in and ordered a review of children's services by Lord Laming. Social workers, including Shoesmith, head of children's services, were sacked; two doctors, including one who missed the broken back at an examination, were suspended.

A second serious case review, details of which were released on Friday, found the death of Baby Peter "could and should have been prevented". Graham Badman, chairman of the Haringey Local Safeguarding Children Board, which carried out the review, said social workers, lawyers, police and doctors who dealt with the case were "lacking in urgency and lacking in thoroughness". The review also found that the agencies charged with protecting the 17-month-old were not sceptical enough of the explanations given by his mother for the child's injuries.

• Panorama: Baby P: The Whole Truth? will be shown on BBC1 at 8.30pm