Victim's family angry over killer's prison move

Charlotte Hope was a passionate charity volunteer and trainee teacher

The family of a woman who died in a crash say they are angry her killer is to be moved to an open prison, just a year and a half into his sentence.

Ashley Kosciekowski, from Stoke-on-Trent, was jailed for six years and four months in December 2022 after admitting causing death by dangerous driving.

Trainee teacher Charlotte Hope, 19, died at the scene on the A53 at Astley, near Shrewsbury, on 9 April 2022.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said: "Prisoners must pass a robust risk assessment before any move to open conditions.

"We do not hesitate to move them back to closed prisons if they break the rules."

Her father, Neil Hope, said the family had been informed on Wednesday of Kosciekowski's move.

He said the family were "devastated, angry and annoyed" by the decision.

"All they would tell us, was that he was going to an open prison which is 200 miles north of Shrewsbury," he said.

It is not the first time the family have been told about Kosciekowski being moved.

In January they learnt he had been sent to an open prison, but he was moved back 48 hours later.

In May, they were told it may happen again, and began campaigning to prevent it.

"We knew that it would come back, we know they weren't going to let it lie," Mr Hope told the BBC.

"They consider him to be non-violent, and not a threat to the general public, which of course we completely disagree with."

Ashley Kosciekowski admitted causing death by dangerous driving and seriously injuring Ms Hope's mother

What is an open prison?

• Classed as category D

• These prisons have minimal security and allow eligible prisoners to spend most of their day away from the prison on licence to carry out work, education or for other resettlement purposes

• Open prisons only house prisoners that have been risk-assessed and deemed suitable for open conditions

"He took large amounts of cannabis, drove a car at over 90 miles an hour, and killed my daughter," said Mr Hope.

"Within months he will be allowed to go out and get jobs, to education establishments, and even go home and spend weekends with his family.

"We'll never get to do that again with Charlotte."

Mr Hope said the family would continue to liaise with their MP, Helen Morgan.

"It is vitally important that there is public trust in the justice system, and it is upsetting to hear that the Hope family’s concerns have not been taken into account by the Ministry for Justice," said Ms Morgan.

She had previously written to the justice secretary to request that victim's families have an opportunity to be on prison service panels that decide prisoner moves.

She added on Friday that she would be contacting the Secretary of State to reiterate this request, and ask for a "full explanation" of the decision.

Mr Hope said the family would "continue to battle" but felt it would not have "any effect".

"What we want to do, is try and make sure that other families don't have to go through this," he said.

"Because it's two and a half years now since we lost her, and it feels like it was yesterday."