Homicide victims’ families including BBC racing commentator John Hunt call for all prisoners convicted of manslaughter to be barred from Labour’s early release scheme
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Families of homicide victims, including BBC racing commentator John Hunt, have urged the Government to exclude everyone convicted of manslaughter from Labour’s early-release scheme. They argue that limiting any new exemption to unlawful-act manslaughter would unfairly leave other bereaved families affected by serious killings, including domestic homicides, facing the prospect of earlier offender release.
The appeal was made in a letter to Justice Secretary Alex Norris, signed by relatives of victims including Barnaby Webber and Joanna Simpson. It follows indications that killers convicted of unlawful-act manslaughter in the case of PC Andrew Harper may be excluded; about 5,000 prisoners remain due for early release after exemptions reduced the original estimated total of 6,000, while the Ministry of Justice says it is accelerating plans to keep more dangerous offenders in custody.
- Families want all manslaughter convictions excluded from early release.
- They say narrower exemptions would treat bereaved families unequally.
- Around 5,000 prisoners remain eligible for accelerated release.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Families argue that any manslaughter conviction involves a death and that excluding only unlawful-act manslaughter would create an arbitrary distinction between bereaved families. A consistent exemption, they say, would recognise the gravity of all such cases and reassure victims’ relatives that offenders will not be released early under a scheme they see as insufficiently attentive to the harm caused.
The case against
The Government could argue that early release is a way to manage prison capacity while retaining safeguards, and that exemptions should be targeted at offences or cases where the risk and circumstances justify them. A blanket bar for every manslaughter conviction could treat widely differing cases alike and reduce flexibility to prioritise dangerous offenders for continued custody.