All MPs should feel very ashamed of the "inappropriate hunting down and scapegoating" of former child protection boss Sharon Shoesmith, a Labour MP has said.
Ms Shoesmith was fired from her £133,000-a-year job by Haringey Council without compensation in December 2008, after a report from regulator Ofsted said her department failed to protect 17-month-old Peter Connelly - known publicly as Baby P.
Barry Sheerman, former chairman of a Commons select committee on education, yesterday condemned the treatment of Ms Shoesmith, who was recently reported to have received a payout of up to £600,000 over her unfair dismissal.
In May 2011, the Court of Appeal found she was unfairly sacked as Labour's then education secretary Ed Balls and Haringey Council did not give her a proper chance to put her case.
Mr Sheerman, asked Education Minister Edward Timpson, if he associated himself "with my view that the inappropriate hunting down and scapegoating of Sharon Shoesmith is something we all should be very ashamed of in this House?"
Mr Timpson said in serious cases it is key to look at "what went wrong and why, as opposed to trying to single out individuals".
Baby Peter died on August 3 2007 at the hands of his mother, Tracey Connelly, her lover, Steven Barker, and their lodger, Jason Owen.
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