THE evil birth father of brave schoolboy Tony Hudgell, who was abused so badly as a baby he had to have both legs amputated, has walked free from jail today.
Anthony Smith, 54, was handed a 10 year jail sentence in 2018 after baby Tony, now 10, was found to be in critical condition with catastrophic injuries to his tiny body.
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.
But Smith was let out of prison on Tuesday after being granted parole on June 19.
He will be subject to strict conditions on release, including wearing a GPS monitor and staying in an agreed location – if he breaks any of these rules, he will be recalled to prison.
It comes just over two months after Tony’s birth mum was freed from jail in June.
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Tony’s adoptive mum, Paula Hudgell, 57, said: “I knew this day would come and that he would eventually be released from prison – but it is still hard to take.
“The only good thing is that he will be heavily monitored for the next two years. But I worry what will happen after that.
“I have seen no evidence that Smith has any remorse for what he’s done – or even any understanding of the effect he’s had on Tony’s life.
“Tony will be living with his injuries for the rest of his life, they will never go away, because of what Smith and his former partner did to their baby.
“Smith is a danger to children and, if he doesn’t get recalled in the next two years for breaching his licence, he will be free to do as he pleases.
“This system is clearly broken – we need something to stop child abusers from acting in this way again.”
Smith, along with Tony’s birth mum Jody Simpson, 34, 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.
Simpson was released from prison in June after serving only around six years of her sentence.
But, after two years on license 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, from West Malling, Kent, 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.”
A Probation Service spokesperson said: “This was a horrific crime that saw Tony Hudgell mercilessly tortured by his birth parents and our thoughts remain with him and his loved ones.
“Now that the independent Parole Board has directed his release, Anthony Smith will be subject to strict supervision and licence conditions.
“He faces an immediate return to prison if he breaks the rules.”
