Jess Phillips tells Government to exempt child rapists from early release scheme
Victims have begun to receive letters from the Government telling them their abusers or attackers are due to be let out of prison in the early release scheme in September.
Labour’s former safeguarding minister Jess Phillips has urged the Government not to include child rapists in its early release prison scheme in September, as the Conservative Party attacked the programme as “disgraceful”.
Listen to this article
Ms Phillips, who resigned from the Government last month, suggested the scheme should be subject to an exemption to ensure those who have committed serious sexual crimes against children are kept in prison.
The Birmingham Yardley MP was speaking as the Conservatives asked the Government how many prisoners who have committed serious sexual crimes are going to be released from jail, what crimes they are guilty of, and when.
It comes as victims have begun to receive letters from the Government telling them their abusers or attackers are due to be let out of prison in the early release scheme in September.
Justice minister Jake Richards did not deny the claims by the Conservatives, but said victims would be notified of their attackers’ release “in good time”.
Read more: Prisoners could be released early in bid to ease overcrowding
Ms Phillips said: “I recognise actually that so few rapists went to prison under the previous administration and the increase has been huge actually, especially with child rapists and I congratulate the Government on that.
“It is my opinion however that there should be more exemptions within the release scheme and child rapist seems to be an area that we should potentially all be looking to work together for, if the numbers allow.”
As she resigned last month, Ms Phillips accused the Government of failing to be “bold” and any real action by Sir Keir Starmer to tackle violence against women and girls came “in light of catastrophic mistakes”.
Mr Richards said the Government had invested £700 million in the probation system and recruited more probation officers. He said: “Case loads for your average probation officer is going down rather than going (to) record highs under the Conservatives.”
Labour former minister Jim McMahon also pressed ministers on why “members of grooming gangs who sexually abused, raped, and exploited children, and indeed child sex offenders more generally” are not exempt from the scheme.
Mr McMahon, MP for Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton, also said he is “absolutely disgusted” by reports in the Oldham Chronicle which suggest Shabir Ahmed, the ring-leader of a notorious grooming gang in Rochdale, is set to be released next month.
Mr Richards said this case “falls outside” provisions in the Sentencing Act, which are due to come into effect in September. But he agreed to meet with him urgently to discuss the case.
It comes as reports have suggested that killers, rapists and sex offenders could be among up to 6,000 criminals released from prison early in a few months’ time.
Last week, The Telegraph said the move was going to be undertaken by the Ministry of Justice to help free up prison spaces.
Some offenders will be eligible for release halfway through their sentences, rather than serving the current tariff of two-thirds.
Speaking in the Commons on Monday, Conservative shadow justice minister Kieran Mullan chastised the Government for the scheme.
Dr Mullan said: “Imagine you’re the victim of a serious crime, as serious as rape or child grooming, and you receive a letter telling you that the perpetrator that harmed you is going to be let out of prison early.
“Appallingly this is the experience right now for thousands of victims of crime, including some of the most serious crimes imaginable thanks to the changes that have been made to our sentencing laws by this Labour Government, helped by the Liberal Democrats.”
He referenced the case of Bradford grooming gang victim Fiona Goddard, whose abusers were sentenced to between 16 and 20 years when they were jailed in 2019.
He added: “Labour told a victim of rape, sexual assault and grooming that her offenders weren’t serious enough to be excluded from early release. Disgraceful.
“And here we are, just a matter of weeks away from these serious offenders coming out and we still don’t know how many are being released and what crimes they’ve committed.”
He continued: “I’m confident when the public understand what is being done in their names, there will be an outcry, and the incoming prime minister will have a choice. To act in the interest of rapists and paedophiles or stand up for victims. What’s it going to be?”
Mr Richards replied that there was “no alternative” to the early releases due to the prisons crisis sparked by a lack of investment by the Conservatives when they were in government.
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle intervened on the minister to say one of his constituents had been written to. “It’s very serious across the country,” Sir Lindsay said.
Mr Richards said victims will be notified in “good time” and their voices will be heard.
He added: “We’ve already begun communication with victims groups and indeed victims who are party to the victim contact scheme, and we will go further and make sure that all those that are party to the scheme receive precise information on their case.
“Not just because we want to let them know, but because we want to hear from them to ensure that when we put in the most robust licence conditions in the community, victims’ voices are at the heart of the decisions we make.”
Mr Richards was repeatedly pressed by MPs on how many rapists and sexual offenders will be released under the scheme, but he did not give a direct answer to this question.
However, he did say “7,500 prison places will be saved as a result of the Sentencing Act”.
Responding to a point of order from Mr Mullan on this, Sir Lindsay said: “I do believe there are questions to be answered.
“All MPs should be told, not who, but how many may be released within their constituencies.”