Labour Faces Fury As Grooming Gang Rapists Set For Early Release

Shabir Ahmed, convicted in 2012 for multiple rapes and sexual offences against vulnerable girls in the Rochdale grooming gang

Survivors Say Justice Is Being Torn Away As Offenders Could Leave Prison After Serving Just A Third Of Their Sentences

Grooming gang survivors have launched a furious attack on Labour's sentencing reforms after learning that some of the men who abused them could be released years earlier than expected because of prison overcrowding.

Five victims are due to protest outside Parliament on Tuesday, urging MPs to block plans they say betray survivors and put women and children at greater risk. The demonstration comes as Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch prepares to force a parliamentary vote aimed at preventing serious sexual offenders from benefiting from early release.

The controversy centres on Labour's plans to ease pressure on Britain's overcrowded prisons by allowing many offenders to leave custody after serving a smaller proportion of their sentences. Under the proposals, more than 90% of offenders jailed for child grooming offences and more than 60% of those imprisoned for rape each year could qualify for earlier release. Those convicted of offences involving child sexual abuse images or sexual activity with a child could serve as little as one-third of their custodial sentence, while most rapists would become eligible for release after serving half.

'Survivors Never Get Early Release From Trauma'

Victims say the reforms have reopened psychological wounds they have spent years trying to heal.

Survivor Fiona Goddard said receiving notification that offenders could soon be released had left her unable to sleep and suffering severe anxiety.

"Survivors do not get early release from the trauma," she said.

"We are left carrying it for life – in our minds, in our bodies, in our homes."

She described feeling frightened to leave her house and said the stress had become so overwhelming it had resulted in hospital treatment.

"The state failed us when we were children, and now it feels as though we are being failed all over again," she said.

Victims Fear For Their Safety

Another survivor, Jessica, who was abused by more than 50 men from the age of 12, said she broke down in tears after receiving the official notification.

"My anxiety and fears were just about settling down," she said.

"Now I've gone a million steps back. I can't eat. I can't sleep. The few hours of sleep I do get are trauma dreams. I wake up crying... It is soul-crushing."

Erin, who said she continues to receive threats from members of the gang that abused her and from their relatives, warned that releasing offenders early would place victims directly back in danger.

"My family and I still receive active threats from these men and their families," she said.

"It feels as though their behaviour is being condoned."

Another survivor, Novah, said offenders appeared to enjoy more comfort in prison than many victims experienced in daily life.

"We're sat at home in absolute pieces... because of these absolute monsters," she said.

Political Pressure Mounts

The issue has rapidly become a political flashpoint.

Badenoch condemned the proposals, calling it "frankly disgusting" that convicted rapists, paedophiles and grooming gang members could benefit from early release.

Meanwhile, reports suggest Labour leadership contender Andy Burnham is exploring ways to exclude child sex offenders from the policy altogether.

Labour argues the measures are necessary to prevent Britain's prison system from running out of space, with more than 60,000 offenders already released early under emergency overcrowding measures.

A Debate Beyond Prison Numbers

For ministers, the reforms are presented as a practical response to a prison capacity crisis.

For survivors, however, the issue is about trust in the justice system.

Many say they spent years enduring police investigations and court proceedings in the belief that lengthy prison sentences would provide some measure of safety and closure. They now argue that releasing dangerous sexual offenders significantly earlier than expected risks undermining public confidence in sentencing while forcing victims to relive the trauma they thought the courts had finally helped bring to an end.

SOURCE

The Victims should pursue civil action against their abusers.