Anthony Smith, the biological father of British campaigner Tony Hudgell, has been released from prison after being granted parole, weeks after the early release of Tony’s biological mother, Jody Simpson.
Smith, 54, and Simpson, 31, were convicted in 2018 of child cruelty offences over assaults on their infant son in 2017. Medical evidence at the time showed that six-week-old Tony arrived at hospital with broken fingers and toes, torn ligaments and sepsis; both of his legs were later amputated because of the severity of his injuries.
Smith was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment in 2018 for what prosecutors described as a series of spiteful assaults on the child. He was granted parole in mid-June and released under licence, the Ministry of Justice and the Probation Service said. Simpson, who received the same 10-year sentence, was released from HMP Downview on July 1 and moved to a probation-supervised residence after an earlier temporary release and recall last year.
A Probation Service spokesperson said the offences were "horrific" and that Smith "will be subject to strict supervision and licence conditions. He faces an immediate return to prison if he breaks the rules." A Ministry of Justice spokesperson made an identical statement after Simpson’s release, saying she had been released as directed by the Independent Parole Board and would also face strict supervision and immediate recall if she breached licence terms.
Tony’s adoptive mother, Paula Hudgell, who has campaigned for tougher penalties for child cruelty and is undergoing treatment for stage-four lung cancer, criticised the Parole Board’s decisions and said she remained concerned for child safety once supervision ends. "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," she said. She added that she was "worried what will happen" after the period of close monitoring and called for stronger safeguards to prevent those convicted of harming children from reoffending.
Paula Hudgell has campaigned for a national register of child abusers to bar those convicted of child cruelty from working with young people and to ensure any future children they have would be taken into care. In response to calls for such a register, a letter from Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said the Department for Education is not in a position to develop and deliver a child-cruelty register at this time.
Tony, now ten, and his adoptive family successfully lobbied for changes to sentencing laws after the case. Their campaign led to the enactment of provisions known as "Tony's Law" in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, which increased maximum penalties for certain child cruelty offences and allowed courts to impose life sentences in the most serious cases.
Since his recovery and after extensive treatment and surgery, Tony has become a public figure in the UK. He has received a Pride of Britain award and was honoured with a British Empire Medal for services to the prevention of child cruelty. He and his family have also raised funds for the hospital that treated him. He has met members of the royal family at public and private events.
The Parole Board operates independently and considers a range of factors, including risk assessments and rehabilitation progress, when directing release. The probation and prison services said licence conditions and supervision are designed to mitigate risk and that any breach can result in immediate recall to custody.