Prime Minister Andy Burnham has personally intervened to ensure that grooming gang perpetrators are not released early from prison under a new scheme aimed at reducing overcrowding. The government is "urgently" identifying men convicted in historical cases who could be freed due to a loophole in the sentencing changes.
Urgent review of historical cases
No 10 confirmed that Burnham has asked the Ministry of Justice to conduct an in-depth review of cases to ensure that grooming cases are identified. This comes after reports that some men convicted of assaulting children in Bradford could be released early, despite a promise that they would remain behind bars.
A spokesperson for Burnham said: "This work is happening urgently. This is extremely important to the PM and he has personally intervened to ensure everything possible is being done so that vile groomers are dealt with in the way their victims deserve."
Loophole in the scheme
About 5,000 people are expected to be released early under the sentencing changes in England and Wales, down from 6,000 after ministers excluded grooming gang members, rapists, and "serious" child sex offenders. However, critics have questioned the scope of the exemptions after it was revealed that some men convicted in historical grooming gang cases could still be eligible.
Some of the offending took place before sexual abuse laws were changed in 2003, and the perpetrators were charged with crimes such as indecent assault, which do not fall within the exclusions to the scheme starting in October. As first disclosed by the Times, there are a number of instances where men convicted of assaulting children in Bradford as part of historical investigations into Asian grooming gangs were not excluded.
Political fallout and criticism
Burnham suspended the scheme in his second week as prime minister after intense pressure from MPs, victims, campaigners, and frontline prison officers to halt the early release of serious sexual and violent offenders. Prisons have become a major point of political contention, with Labour blaming the Conservatives for creating the overcrowding crisis between 2010 and 2024 by increasing sentences while failing to build enough jails.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch wrote to Burnham on Thursday demanding to know which offences would be eligible for early release, accusing the government of "yet another betrayal of the victims."
PC Andrew Harper killers
The government has also resisted pressure to exempt two of PC Andrew Harper's killers from early release. Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers could be freed halfway through their 13-year sentences for manslaughter after the officer's death in 2019. Harper sustained fatal injuries after being dragged down a country road as the killers fled the scene of a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire. The driver, Henry Long, received a 16-year sentence and will not be eligible for release.
Thames Valley police chief constable Jason Hogg said he was receiving legal advice on whether the force could join a legal challenge to prevent Cole and Bowers being freed.
Government's position and conditions
Burnham has said he wanted to "go further" with the exemptions, but this was "not possible without the prison system reaching capacity and collapsing." Those released will face tougher probation conditions, including electronic monitoring, random drug testing, and possible bans from driving, pubs, and events such as football matches. The changes were part of the Sentencing Act passed earlier this year, which cut the minimum amount of time many offenders would have to spend in prison.
