Latest news with #prisonrecall
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Daily Mail
Sharon Beshenivksy gang look-out who served just 11 years of life sentence over PC's killing is sent back to prison for breaking release rules
An armed robber jailed for life for the notorious killing of PC Sharon Beshenivsky has been recalled to prison for breaching the terms of his release licence, MailOnline has learned. Gang lookout Faisal Razzaq was given a life sentence in 2007 and told he must serve at least 11 years when he was found guilty of manslaughter at Newcastle Crown Court. Razzaq, 43, was a key member of the gang who took part in the bungled armed robbery in Bradford on November 18 2005 that led to the death of PC Beshenivsky. Her colleague, Pc Teresa Milburn, was also gunned down in the street and seriously wounded as the robbers escaped with just £5,000. MailOnline can reveal that Razzaq, of Forest Gate, east London, was recalled to prison in September last year after breaching licence conditions. It is not known what rules he broke. PC Beshenivsky was shot outside the Universal Express travel agency in Bradford, west Yorkshire. Razzaq was a lookout for the gang alongside his older brother Hassan, who was also found guilty of manslaughter and jailed for 20-years. Faisal Razzaq was given a life sentence in 2007 and told he must serve at least 11 years when he was found guilty of manslaughter at Newcastle Crown Court The brothers were cleared of murder at the same trial. Newcastle Crown Court was told that Razzaq had conducted a reconnaissance trip from London on November 13 2005, five days before the fatal shooting. He drove Piran Ditta Khan - the man known as uncle Pete, 'the architect of the robbery', who went on the run after the murder - first to Bradford and then to the house in Leeds where his brother Faisal was staying. The brothers were also found guilty of robbery and a series of firearms offences. Faisal Razzaq had seven-and-a-half-years added to his sentence in June 2007 for possession of firearms in 2004. He was on bail for this offence when the murder took place. The mastermind of the robbery, Piran Ditta Khan, fled to Pakistan and was arrested on 14 January 2020. On 4 April 2024 he was found guilty of murder and on 10 May 2024, at Leeds Crown Court, he was sentenced to life, with a minimum term of 40 years. Muzzaker Shah and Yusuf Jama, were sentenced to life in prison with minimum terms of 35 years in 2006 for the murder of PC Beshenivsky, robbery and firearms offences. Speaking at the murder trial, PC Milburn said:'[We] didn't have a chance,' adding that her colleague 'stopped in terror' when she saw the gunman as she approached the door and was shot in the chest at point blank range before collapsing to the floor with an immediately fatal injury. Pc Beshenivsky was shot in the chest and killed on her youngest daughter's fourth birthday. She was the first woman police officer to be shot dead on duty since WPC Yvonne Fletcher was gunned down outside the Libyan embassy in London on April 17, 1984. A spokesperson for HM Prison and Probation Service said: 'As this case shows, we do not hesitate to send offenders back to prison if they break the rules.' In line with parole regulations, Razzaq had a hearing in November 2024 to consider whether the Probation Service had followed procedure and made the right decision. Unusually, a single member of the Parole Board made the decision to uphold Razzaq's licence recall based solely on a reading of documentation about his return to jail and also time subsequently spent behind bars. A spokesperson for the Parole Board said:'We can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board refused the release of Faisal Razzaq following a paper review. The panel also refused to recommend a move to open prison. 'Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community. 'A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims. 'Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority. 'Under current legislation he will be eligible for a further review in due course. The date of the next review will be set by the Ministry of Justice.' Razzaq caused outrage after he was first released in 2017 by celebrating with a Facebook post that read: 'Guess who's back?' He later caused further offence when it emerged In April 2024 that he was now getting around in a £20,000 Mercedes C-Class. When asked then if he felt any remorse for the death of 38-year-old PC Beshenivsky he said: 'Who told you I live here? Go away.'
The Independent
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Government facing backlash over prison recall changes to free up jail space
Ministers are facing a backlash from victims and domestic abuse watchdogs over planned changes to prison recall which would see some offenders released within a month to free up jail space. Under emergency measures announced by the Justice Secretary, some criminals serving sentences between one and four years will be returned to custody only for a fixed 28-day period. Offenders are recalled to prison if they commit another offence or breach licence conditions, such as by missing probation appointments, when they are released early but remain on licence. Shabana Mahmood said the changes were necessary to curb overcrowding as she warned jails are on track to be down to 'zero capacity' by November. The plans were criticised by victims commissioner Baroness Newlove and domestic abuse commissioner Dame Nicole Jacobs, who said lives would be in danger as a result of the decision. Baroness Newlove said: 'Victims will understandably feel unnerved and bewildered by today's announcement. 'If the Probation Service, the secretary of state and the Parole Board have all judged these individuals to pose a risk of harm to the public, then reducing time served on recall can only place victims and the wider public at an unnecessary risk of harm.' Dame Nicole called for the proposal to be scrapped, saying: 'I cannot stress (enough) the lack of consideration for victims' safety and how many lives are being put in danger because of this proposed change. 'You are not sent to prison for four years if you do not pose significant risk to your victim or the wider public. 'Re-releasing them back into the community after 28 days is simply unacceptable.' Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said Labour was 'making the problem worse'. He said: 'Under Labour's new rules, instead of being recalled to serve the rest of their sentence, they'll be given a fixed-term recall of a pitiful 28 days. 'They are then released, with no reassessment of risk or Parole Board oversight. 'That is not justice. It's a recipe for the breakdown of law and order. 'By telling prisoners that they will never serve their full sentence, even if they reoffend, the Justice Secretary has removed an important deterrent.' Andrea Coomber KC, chief executive of charity the Howard League for Penal Reform, said the recall change is a 'logical step to take' when the recall population is rising so quickly, and said the upcoming sentencing review is a chance for 'a lasting solution to this mess'. 'There is no time to lose, and only bold reform will do,' she said. Ministers say the scheme will exclude people convicted of serious violent or sexual offences, as well as terrorist and national security crimes. The exclusions will focus on offenders managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (Mappa) at Level 2 or 3, the PA news agency understands. Mappa is used to manage certain sexual and violent offenders in the community, with only the most complex or high-risk individuals put at Level 2 or 3. It is hoped the emergency measures will free up 1,400 prison places and 'buy time' before sentencing reforms expected to come into force next spring. Legislation to bring in the changes is expected to be introduced in the coming weeks. Ms Mahmood also announced three new prisons will be built, starting this year, as part of a 'record prison expansion', but admitted 'we cannot build our way out of this crisis'. 'The consequences of failing to act are unthinkable, but they must be understood,' she said. 'If our prisons overflow, courts cancel trials, police halt their arrests, crime goes unpunished and we reach a total breakdown of law and order.' The latest weekly prison population in England and Wales was 88,087, 434 below the last peak of 88,521 inmates on September 6, recorded just before the Government began freeing thousands of prisoners early as part of efforts to curb overcrowding.
The Independent
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
More emergency measures to cut jail overcrowding before ‘zero capacity' reached
The Justice Secretary has announced more emergency measures to curb prison overcrowding as she warned jails are on track to be down to 'zero capacity' by November. Shabana Mahmood unveiled changes to prison recall on Wednesday, with criminals serving between one and four years of jail time being returned to custody only for 'a fixed 28-day period'. Offenders are recalled to prison if they commit another offence or breach licence conditions, such as by missing probation appointments, when they are released early but remain on licence. Currently those serving between one to four-year sentences can be recalled for a fixed term of 28 days, when they are automatically re-released, or for a standard term, which is for the remainder of their sentence or when the Parole Board decides they can be released earlier. It is hoped the move, which is expected to create 1,400 prison places, will 'buy time' before sentencing reforms expected to come into force next spring. Legislation to bring in the changes is expected to be introduced in the coming weeks. Ms Mahmood also announced three new prisons will be built starting this year, as part of a 'record prison expansion', but admitted 'we cannot build our way out of this crisis'. Of the recall changes, the Lord Chancellor said: 'It buys us the time we need to introduce the sentencing reforms that – alongside our record prison-building plans – will end the crisis in our prisons for good. 'The consequences of failing to act are unthinkable, but they must be understood. 'If our prisons overflow, courts cancel trials, police halt their arrests, crime goes unpunished and we reach a total breakdown of law and order.' The recall change will exclude those who commit serious crimes, such as violent and sexual offences, or are recalled for committing a further serious offence. They will still be subject to standard recall to serve the remainder of their sentence behind bars or until an earlier release is determined by the Parole Board. 'We also will exclude those who are subject to higher levels of risk management by multiple agencies where the police, prisons and probation services work together,' the Justice Secretary said. Ms Mahmood told reporters the recall population has 'more than doubled' in seven years. In 2018 the figure was 6,000, but it had climbed to 13,600 by March this year. The three new prisons will go ahead on existing Ministry of Justice land and create around 5,000 places, after securing a capital investment of £4.7 billion. Ms Mahmood said officials will be 'breaking ground' on a site near HMP Gartree in Leicestershire 'later this year'. She added: 'This is a record prison expansion, and after the long delays under the last government, who allowed their backbenchers to block every project, we are building at breakneck pace.' But she said that despite the record building, the population is 'rising too fast' and despite the funding announced on Wednesday, by spring 2028 'we will be 9,500 places short'. The latest weekly prison population in England and Wales was 88,087, 434 below the last peak of 88,521 inmates on September 6, recorded just before the Government began freeing thousands of prisoners early as part of efforts to curb overcrowding. Ministers ordered early releases by temporarily reducing the proportion of sentences some prisoners must serve behind bars from 50% to 40%. Amy Rees, the Ministry of Justice's interim permanent secretary, said the Government would 'run out of prison places in just five months' time' if further measures were not taken. 'On our current trajectory, the prison population rises by 3,000, and now we expect to hit zero capacity, to entirely run out of prison places for adult men, in November of this year,' she said. Early release measures have 'only bought the service time', Ms Rees added, including the Government's decision to reduce early release to 40% of sentences. Reacting to the fresh measures on Wednesday, shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said Labour was 'making the problem worse'. He said: 'Under Labour's new rules, instead of being recalled to serve the rest of their sentence, they'll be given a fixed-term recall of a pitiful 28 days. 'They are then released, with no reassessment of risk or Parole Board oversight. 'That is not justice. It's a recipe for the breakdown of law and order. 'By telling prisoners that they will never serve their full sentence, even if they reoffend, the Justice Secretary has removed an important deterrent.' The emergency announcement comes ahead of the independent sentencing review, led by former justice secretary David Gauke, which has been looking at tougher punishments outside of prison as part of Government efforts to tackle jail overcrowding. The recommendations for reform are expected to be published in the coming weeks. Chief executive of charity Howard League for Penal Reform, Andrea Coomber KC, said the recall change was a 'logical step to take' when the recall population is rising so quickly, and said the upcoming sentencing review is a chance for 'a lasting solution to this mess'. 'There is no time to lose, and only bold reform will do,' she said. Meanwhile, the chairman of the Prison Officers Association (POA) said building new prisons will 'not improve the current population crisis'. 'The Government would be better off spending billions of taxpayers' money on modernising the prison estate, funding an under-resourced probation service, providing more secure mental health beds and ensuring we have robust community sentences that the public have confidence in,' Mark Fairhurst said.
