Prisoner release plan 'slap in face' - victim's mum

Libby Squire's mum, Lisa, believes the justice system needs to be overhauled

The mother of a murdered Hull student fears the early release of prisoners after serving less than half of their sentence would lead to an escalation in crime.

Lisa Squire's daughter, Libby, 21, was raped and murdered in January 2019 by Pawel Relowicz, who was jailed in 2021 for at least 27 years.

Earlier this month, it was announced some prisoners will be released after they have served 40% of their sentence as part of emergency measures to deal with prison overcrowding in England and Wales.

Mrs Squire described the proposals, which will go before MPs later, as a "slap in the face" for victims and said it made her "blood boil".

Under the proposals set out by Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, the first wave of prisoners are likely to be released under the scheme in September.

Those who are in jail for serious violent offences with sentences of four years or more, as well as sex offenders, will not be released as part of the scheme.

Domestic abusers and stalkers will also be exempt.

As of 12 July, the prison population was 87,505, close to 2011’s record high of 88,000, according to Ministry of Justice data.

Student Libby Squire was murdered after a night out in Hull

Mrs Squire, 54, from High Wycombe, said: "That's great for the perpetrator, they're only going to serve 40% of their sentence, but what about the victim?

"It's disgusting. As the mother of a victim of a crime, I can't think of anything worse, really.

"The whole of our justice system needs to be looked at – it needs to be overhauled.

"The victim seems to be the last person who's taken into consideration in a long chain of things.

"If a person has committed a crime, they should serve the entire sentence. This [overcrowding] has been coming for years. It's not going to get any better."

Impact on families

Ms Squire's body was found in the Humber Estuary seven weeks after she vanished following a night out in Hull.

Mrs Squire has been campaigning for non-contact sex offences to be taken seriously after Relowicz had previous convictions for a string of sexually motivated offences including voyeurism.

She said she suffered from mini panic attacks and wanted to speak to the Justice Minister about the impact of crime and punishment on victims and their families.

The Ministry of Justice said the prison system was "in crisis" and it would be recruiting 1,000 trainee probation officers to "bolster robust supervision in the community and better protect the public.”.

"If we fail to act now, we face a total break down of law and order – putting victims at greater risk," a spokesperson said.

“Our measures will make sure we have the spaces needed to lock up dangerous criminals, including sexual and domestic abuse offenders who are not eligible under this scheme."

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