‘Two of Britain’s “worst and most violent rapists” should die in jail instead of facing potential release, a court has been told. The solicitor general for England and Wales told the Court of Appeal that rare whole life orders should be handed to Joseph McCann and Reynhard Sinaga.’
The Independent, 14th October 2020
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘A man who murdered his wife 35 years ago is to be released from prison despite refusing to reveal the whereabouts of her body.’
The Guardian, 8th September 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A murdered woman’s mother has been told to pay her daughter’s killer £40,000 in legal fees.’
BBC News, 7th September 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘An attempt by terrorism offender Mohammed Zahir Khan to overturn a ban on early release from prison has been thrown out by the High Court.’
BBC News, 30th July 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The mother of a 22-year-old insurance clerk murdered in 1988 has asked judges to quash a Parole Board decision to release her daughter’s killer.’
BBC News, 29th July 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘A woman who says her son was effectively given “a life sentence” for stealing a mobile phone is calling on the UK government to change the rules.’
BBC News, 20th July 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘In this case the “court” in question is the Parole Board. The inverted commas are because one of the issues is whether the Board is, in fact, a court for these purposes. Mr Gourlay is a life sentence prisoner. On 10 March 2014 the Parole Board refused to recommend that he be transferred to open conditions (almost always an essential precondition to later release). The Secretary of State usually, but does not always, accept such recommendations. Mr Gourlay challenged the Board’s refusal to make a recommendation. In accordance with a published “litigation strategy” that it has had since 2013 the Board did not engage with that challenge. That strategy takes advantage of a practice encapsulated in a case concerning coroners, R (Davies) v Birmingham Deputy Coroner [2004] 1 WLR 2739, which is that courts and tribunals will not usually be ordered to pay costs provided they have maintained a neutral stance. Mr Gourlay succeeded in his challenge, but both the High Court, and the Court of Appeal, held that Davies applied to the Board, and so Mr Gourlay did not recover his costs. This meant, amongst other things, that his lawyers were only entitled to be paid at around a quarter to a third of the rate they would have received if party-party costs had been awarded in Mr Gourlay’s favour.’
UKSC Blog, 10th July 2020
Source: ukscblog.com
‘An attempt to block the release of a man convicted of beating and raping a pensioner has been rejected by the Parole Board.’
BBC News, 8th June 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The Justice Secretary is seeking to block the decision to release a rapist serving a life sentence from prison, after the victim’s family only learned of the plans through a journalist.’
Daily Telegraph, 5th June 2020
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
‘A man convicted of beating and raping a pensioner has been cleared for release from prison by the Parole Board.’
BBC News, 19th May 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘A Parole Board is not only entitled to consider unproven criminal allegations made against the prisoner, but is expected to do so. The 2019 ‘Guidance on Allegations’ issued by the Secretary of State for Justice (SSJ) is consistent with decided authority and is not unlawful. ‘Mere allegations’ with no evidential basis whatsoever should not be considered. However, where there is sufficient evidential material for a Board to make ‘at least some findings of fact’, an unproven allegation should be taken into account as part of the Board’s overall risk assessment. The strength or weakness of the supporting material will go to the weight that a Board is entitled to place on the allegation in that assessment. Consideration of unproven allegations is subject to relevance and the overriding requirement that a Parole Board must act fairly.’
5SAH, 8th April 2020
Source: www.5sah.co.uk
‘The Terrorist Offenders (Restriction of Early Release) Bill was introduced into Parliament on the 3rd February 2020, as ‘emergency legislation’ in response to the Streatham Hill terrorist attack that took place on 2nd February 2020. This terrorist incident followed two other attacks by men who had also been convicted of terrorism offences and had recently been released from prison.’
Pump Court Chambers, 30th March 2020
Source: www.pumpcourtchambers.com
‘The government is considering releasing some offenders from prisons in England and Wales to ease pressures caused by the coronavirus pandemic.’
BBC News, 25th March 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The Prison Officers’ Association has called for a “fundamental review” of the UK’s de-radicalisation programmes.’
BBC News, 10th March 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘A serial rapist who attacked a string of victims aged between 11 and 71 could have been jailed weeks before he started the rampage, a report has revealed.’
The Independent, 5th March 2020
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘More than 40 convicted terrorists were released from prison in the year before emergency legislation was introduced to keep jailed extremists locked up for longer, figures reveal, while the number of far-right detainees has surged.’
The Guardian, 5th March 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Victims of violent and sexual offences are being given the automatic right to challenge their attackers’ release and apply for restrictions to protect themselves.’
The Independent, 5th March 2020
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘The automatic early release of terrorist offenders will end as emergency legislation to ensure the public is protected receives Royal Assent.’
Ministry of Justice, 26th February 2020
Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice
‘Emergency plans to increase the minimum time terrorists serve in jail risk being counterproductive because of the danger that prisoners will be further radicalised behind bars, the official watchdog has said.’
The Guardian, 19th February 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
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