Dying murderer 'could have been released' from jail

Scott Walker was jailed for life for the murder of stepdaughter Bernadette Walker

A man jailed for life for the murder of his stepdaughter could have been released early on compassionate grounds when he was nearing the end of his life, a report found.

Scott Walker, from Peterborough, was given a minimum of 32 years in jail for murdering Bernadette Walker, 17, in 2020. He never revealed where her body was.

Walker died with cancer at HMP Full Sutton, in East Yorkshire, at the age of 53 in 2023.

A report by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has criticised the prison for not acting quickly enough to apply for early release on compassionate grounds before the killer died. It did not rule whether the application would have been successful.

During Walker's trial at Cambridge Crown Court in 2021, the jury heard Bernadette had told her mother that Walker, then 51, had been abusing her "over a number of years".

Walker died with cancer two years after being jailed

Bernadette was last seen when Walker, who was not her biological father, collected her from his parents' home in Peterborough on 18 July 2020.

It is believed he killed her then but despite extensive searches the teenager's body has never been found.

Walker died at HMP Full Sutton of acute bronchopneumonia caused by metastatic bladder cancer.

The body of Bernadette Walker, 17, has never been found

Walker was diagnosed in prison with possible bladder cancer in August 2022 and received treatment and support from the prison's healthcare team and the urology specialist nurse.

The ombudsman's findings - first reported in the Peterborough Telegraph - stated that in May 2023 he was told the cancer had spread to his bones.

He began chemotherapy but declined to have any further treatment in October, as it was making him unwell.

Walker signed a do not resuscitate order.

On 5 October, Mr Walker's prison offender manager started an early release on compassionate grounds application. She completed her report and sent it to the prison GP to complete.

However, the offender manager did not send it to the community offender manager for completion as she should have done.

"There is no evidence that the GP completed the report prior to Mr Walker's death," the report stated.

On 8 December, Walker was transferred to the healthcare unit at Full Sutton for palliative care. On the morning of 22 December, prison officers found Mr Walker unresponsive in his cell, and he was later confirmed to have died.

The ombudsman's report does not state if the application for early release would have been successful.

What is ERCG?

Release on compassionate grounds is a means by which prisoners who are seriously ill, usually with a life expectancy of less than three months, can be permanently released from custody before their sentence has expired.

Among the criteria for release is that the risk of reoffending is expected to be minimal, further imprisonment would reduce life expectancy, there are adequate arrangements for the prisoner's care and treatment outside prison, and release would benefit the prisoner and their family.

The report into Walker's death stated: "We found that despite starting an early release on compassionate grounds (ERCG) application promptly, prison staff did not request a report from probation staff and the GP at Full Sutton did not complete their report before Mr Walker died as they should have done."

It concluded that this led to the overall delay in the processing of the application once it had been submitted.

It recommended the prison's governor and the head of healthcare should ensure that ERGC applications are completed in line with policy framework by ensuring that prison staff request a report from probation staff for the application and that "all reports are completed in a timely manner".

A Prison Service spokesperson said: "We have accepted and actioned the Prison and Probation Ombudsman's recommendation."