Trushali
- 14 April 2026
- Â Tony was taken to Sheffield Children’s Hospital last Friday for an operation
- READ MORE:Â Tony Hudgell’s adoptive mother reveals she’s undergone ‘brutal’ life-saving surgery after the spread of her stage four cancer
Brave double amputee Tony Hudgell has undergone further surgery – and his 33rd general anaesthetic – as he continues to battle the devastating legacy of abuse he suffered as a baby at the hands of his parents.
He was abused at 41 days old by his birth parents, Jody Simpson and Anthony Smith, which caused multiple fractures, dislocations and blunt trauma to the face, leading to organ failure, toxic shock and sepsis. He was left untreated and in agony for ten days.
Watching his endless suffering has left his 58-year-old adoptive mother Paula Hudgell OBE, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer, heartbroken as she admitted ‘I might not see him grow into adulthood’.Â
The 11-year-old was taken to Sheffield Children’s Hospital last Friday for an operation to remove a plate and pins from his reconstructed hip after the real one had been permanently dislocated.
Paula told the Daily Mail: ‘Watching Tony go through operation after operation has been one of the most emotionally exhausting experiences imaginable.
‘Each time, there’s that same moment that never gets easier – the quiet, heavy dread as he’s taken in, and the unbearable sight of him drifting off to sleep. No matter how many times it happens, it never feels routine. It never feels okay.
‘It’s impossible not to feel anger alongside the heartbreak – anger that a child could be failed so badly, and that years later, he is still paying the price. And yet, through it all, there is also resilience. Tony faces each challenge with strength.’
Tony, whose legs were amputated at age three, had pioneering five-hour leg and hip surgery in March 2024 – led by consultant orthopaedic surgeon James Fernandes – to fit him with a false hip and to lengthen his left femur (thigh bone).
He was abused at 41 days old by his birth parents, Jody Simpson and Anthony Smith, which caused multiple fractures, dislocations and blunt trauma to the face, leading to organ failure, toxic shock and sepsis. He was left untreated and in agony for ten days.
Brave double amputee Tony Hudgell has undergone further surgery – and his 33rd general anaesthetic – as he continues to battle the devastating legacy of abuse he suffered as a baby at the hands of his parents
Watching his endless suffering has left his 58-year-old adoptive mother Paula Hudgell OBE, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer, heartbroken as she admitted ‘I might not see him grow into adulthood’Â
Jody and Anthony were jailed for ten years in 2018 after being convicted of child cruelty, but have since been released under licence – Jody in 2023, and Anthony last September.
Paula has described their early release as ‘deeply upsetting’ and ‘a betrayal of justice’, adding that Anthony was ‘evil’ and had not shown remorse for the harm he had caused Tony.
In a statement at the time, she added: ‘This man caused immeasurable harm to Tony – damage that will last a lifetime – and yet he walks free while the victim continues to carry the weight of his actions every single day.’
Paula said the reason for his latest surgery was that just before Christmas 2024, ‘he was walking across the room and just caught his leg and fractured his hip, so we had to go back to Sheffield Hospital for Mr Fernandes to repair the fracture with a plate and screws.’
She added: ‘We are now home, but six weeks off the leg to let the holes in the bone heal, which is a challenge with Tony. As always, he has been truly incredible and my inspiration of true strength and resilience.
‘He is doing remarkably well. High spirits around the pain. Playing his Switch Minecraft and Roblox, watching some films and playing some games – anything to try to take his mind off it. He would normally be playing PlayStation, but it’s broken at the moment.’
Paula shared a touching photo on Instagram of Tony in his hospital gown, just moments before his latest surgery on Friday. It was met with an outpouring of love and encouragement from friends and supporters.
Tony Hudgell (left) with Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Downing Street on March 17, 2026 in London, England
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Paula added: ‘What makes it even harder is knowing that so much of this pain could have been avoided. These procedures, the fear, the recovery – they are not just medical necessities, but consequences of something far more disturbing.
‘The harm he suffered as a baby at the hands of those who should have protected him has left lasting scars, ones that continue to shape his life today.’
At the age of nine, Tony became the youngest ever recipient of the British Empire Medal in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to the prevention of child abuse.
In June 2020, aged five and inspired by Captain Tom Moore, he walked 10 kilometres on his prosthetic legs and raised £1.7 million for Evelina London Children’s Hospital.
The Hudgells’ campaigning led to ‘Tony’s Law’ in 2022, which increased the maximum sentence for causing or allowing a child’s death from 14 years to life, while the maximum penalty for causing serious harm to a child was increased from 10 to 14 years.
Last month, the family celebrated another victory when their campaign for a child safety register succeeded, with the register set to cover child neglect, cruelty, abandonment, female genital mutilation and infanticide.
Paula, who was awarded an OBE in 2023 for services to children, is herself battling terminal cancer. She was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in 2022, which she was told in July 2025 is terminal.
Speaking about her diagnosis, Paula said: ‘I’ve been on chemo every two weeks. It’s been tough, it’s been hard, but this campaign is the fire in my belly. I don’t want to go anywhere until I know that there is a child cruelty register. How long I’ve got, who knows? I’m not going anywhere without a fight. Tony’s my inspiration’.
She added: ‘It breaks me that I might not see him grow into adulthood, see him married, have his own family, that really does break me, but I will fight for as long as I can to be here for as long as I can’.