Family fears son's attacker will be released early

CALLUM LEFT BRAIN DAMAGED AFTER UNPROVOKED ATTACK

- CARL EVE

THE parents of a young man left with severe brain damage after he suffered an unprovoked assault on North Hill fear his attacker could be released from jail this summer, due to emergency measures to combat prison overcrowding.

The End of Custody Supervised Licence (ECSL) was introduced in October to ease overcrowding in jails across England and Wales. It allows certain prisoners to be released up to 70 days before the end of their sentence.

However, the Prime Minister told the House of Commons that “no one” would be put on to the scheme “if they were deemed a threat to public safety”.

The government said sex offenders, terrorists, serious violent offenders, and those serving sentences of more than four years would not be eligible. Earlier this month a further emergency measure – Operation Early Dawn – was triggered by the Ministry of Justice, which would result in defendants remaining in police custody and not be transferred to magistrates’ court for bail hearings, in case there wasn’t any space in jail cells for that prisoner if they remanded in custody.

News of the two emergency measures – brought about due to the dire situation of severe overcrowding in prisons – have raised concerns for Wendy and Alan Turner, parents of 20-year-old Callum, who was attacked by 33-year-old Paul Roberts on the evening of July 17, 2021 as he walked along North Hill.