Petition to stop the EARLY RELEASE for PC Harpers killers

"On LBC they were saying that there are hundreds of drivers serving a prison sentence for not having insured their vehicle. It is an offence, I know, but do they warrant taking up a prison space?"

Sarnia, not insuring a vehicle does not lead to a custodial sentence unless that vehicle is involved in an accident which causes a fatality. There could, of course be hundreds of such drivers in prison, some of whom were driving dangerously in stolen vehicles, but I don't know exact figures. Prison would seem to be an appropriate punishment for that imo.
Others may disagree.

X post.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

This is such an emotive subject. My heart says one thing but my head agrees with Tuliptree.

Me too, FGT2.

The aspect that worries me most about this scheme - as a woman, is this - and I've pulled it straight from Google AI without (as I usually do) checking various other links or factual data because it's already 34 degrees here and I'm hot and flustered...

"The claim that 'domestic abusers are banned' from the UK's early-release scheme is legally false. The Sentencing Act 2026 only bans them if their primary conviction is a specific domestic abuse charge. But most abusers are jailed for general 'ABH' or 'Assault'. Data shows 10% of short-sentence inmates have documented histories of domestic abuse but are still eligible for early release because of this paperwork loophole. The Domestic Abuse Commissioner herself warned the government is prioritizing clearing beds over protecting women, skipping critical probation risk checks entirely."

As an 84 year old woman whose marital status largely precludes me from this risk, my concern is focused on the belief that the justice system too often centres the welfare and status of the (usually) men who commit this abuse. You only have to look at some of the headlines in abuse or rape cases to see this in action. Headlines, for example, like "Promising actor/sportsman/talented whatever, risks losing his chances/career (etc) over rape allegations" - prioritising the possible downfall of the alleged rapist, rather than the horror endured by his victim. In a recent case, a man raped a woman who was drunk, unconscious, and vomiting (or had vomited) over herself, yet the headlines centred his 'downfall' as if that were more important than the fact that he raped a defenceless woman. So, yes - the protection of women and girls from violence perpetrated by men appears to be a secondary consideration.

Excellent post Dickens

Tuliptree

I’m from Yorkshire. I know what a tyke is and it isn’t a word to describe these two .

That we can agree on 👍🏻

Tuliptree

TerriBull

Very dangerous men are being released all the time. One such person was Simon Levy who has just been sentenced to whole life for the murder of two women. A shocking example of someone who walked among us and went on to commit awful crimes. Prison is definitely a place for the most dangerous, they endanger society they're there for a reason. Possibly other solutions should be mooted for non violent offences.

But it’s how he came to be walking around and it certainly wasn’t an early release scheme.

The point is - if our prisons get so over crowded there is not room for the likes of him, especially as they are unlikely to be able to properly separate and isolated.

We have another northern ghastly example - the funeral parlour director in Hull who kept bodies rotting, gave the wrong ashes to people, and more. You can imagine the consequences of that for families, but because the people were mostly poor (bargain funeral) it hasn't adequately hit the headlines.

something has to give way, and choices are limited.

Wyllow - that was a truly awful case. I did see some coverage on C4 news but I agree with you I would have expected more. I think his sentence was appropriate and was pleased to see that but oh the impact on the bereaved . Evil has many faces.

Wyllow3 it definitely made the headlines, and breakfast news on BBC and ITV along with the 10pm news.

There is also the question of a fair number of people incarcerated for minor crimes such as phone theft and they've been there for years I read about a young man recently, although he's probably not so young now, who was sent to prison for stealing a phone, back in the early noughties and he's still there

TerriBull

There is also the question of a fair number of people incarcerated for minor crimes such as phone theft and they've been there for years I read about a young man recently, although he's probably not so young now, who was sent to prison for stealing a phone, back in the early noughties and he's still there

Do you remember if he is one of the IPP prisoners because that’s a shocking scandal

Tuliptree

TerriBull

There is also the question of a fair number of people incarcerated for minor crimes such as phone theft and they've been there for years I read about a young man recently, although he's probably not so young now, who was sent to prison for stealing a phone, back in the early noughties and he's still there

Do you remember if he is one of the IPP prisoners because that’s a shocking scandal

Yes there are several I believe, it's absolutely shocking.

Of course having a phone stolen is pretty horrible, but in the great scheme of things, when our prisons are so overcrowded. A non custodial sentence surely? and some recompense to the victim.

2,400 still stuck in the IPP system according to AI.

David Blunkett who introduced IPPs bitterly regrets it now and campaigns for their freedom. They are in a real Catch 22 and honestly when you read about the scheme it sounds like something a dictatorship would bring in. It’s an excellent example of how justice can fly out of the window when we treat criminals too differentially

GrannyGravy13

Wyllow3 it definitely made the headlines, and breakfast news on BBC and ITV along with the 10pm news.

Yes, I have been aware of this for a long time and it has definitely been on the mainstream news.
Such a shocking thing to do, not giving grieving families their loved ones' remains. Quite horrendous that all those bodies were still left unattended to, especially the babies.
We saw one of the grieving mothers on TV news.

He deserves the 20 year sentence he received and I hope he has to serve the full term in prison.

I think the coverage was disproportionately thin

TerriBull

Tuliptree

TerriBull

There is also the question of a fair number of people incarcerated for minor crimes such as phone theft and they've been there for years I read about a young man recently, although he's probably not so young now, who was sent to prison for stealing a phone, back in the early noughties and he's still there

Do you remember if he is one of the IPP prisoners because that’s a shocking scandal

Yes there are several I believe, it's absolutely shocking.

Of course having a phone stolen is pretty horrible, but in the great scheme of things, when our prisons are so overcrowded. A non custodial sentence surely? and some recompense to the victim.

This has changed now, they were abolished in 2012, but the ruling does not apply retrospectively.

If these prisoners are released, under the conditions of their sentencing at that time, they can be recalled at any time for even minor infringements.

GrannyGravy13

Excellent post Dickens

Thank you GG13.

I think my concern which, I admit, is fuelled by some anger - is that women cannot become the collateral damage from this early release scheme.

If documented abusers have a history of domestic abuse and are released to be monitored by a system already in chaos, by a paperwork loophole, this is simply not acceptable in my opinion.

If the probation service itself is panicked by the extra workload, on top of the unmanageable existing workload, then this just can't be brushed under the carpet. Of course, there might be some deliberate 'hype' in their claims, but the budget cuts to the whole justice system are real and known and cannot be ignored. I won't go into the stats and data - it's all there for anyone to discover for themselves.

I don't know, of course, how many of such men would become a further danger to their wives or girlfriends - or any other women, and I don't want to derail this thread by delving deeply into the psychology of men's abusive rages, but it is widely understood that some of them when they feel scorned, disrespected, disobeyed, can lose all sense of rationality, oblivious in that moment to the consequences of their anger. If that 'paperwork loophole' results in yet another woman's death - what then? Do we simply indulge in hand-wringing and talk about 'lessons being learned' or the famous 'missed opportunities'?

I think this is a loophole that needs to be closed. Even if it means a delay in the early-release scheme.

I support both your posts Dickens.
We seem to pendulum from believing the research findings on domestic abusers when considering eg private law applications. Contact arrangements should protect the children and the victim, usually their mother. Cafcass appears to be recognising its blanket policy on maintaining contact isn’t working and can cause distress or danger
Domestic abusers and sex offenders who end up in prison should be excluded from the current early release schemes

www.change.org/p/petition-to-stop-the-early-release-from-jail-of-pc-andrew-harper-s-killers?cs_tk=A-7I5W5jdA1rMqtde2oAAHicq64FAAF1APkzZmQ4ZjQwODNjY2RhYjc1MTlhOWZjYWM5NWVkZTI4YmViMTJmYjEyYzVlOWRkZmQyMmIyYmMzOWRlZjRlNTE5&utm_campaign=8d6e995b5bd5416c92f9af8fd6c361df&utm_content=20251125_supporter_milestone_50000&utm_medium=email&utm_source=633943_supporter_milestone_50000&utm_term=itbl

1,028,663 signatures now.