Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ordered an “urgent” review to identify any grooming gang members who may be eligible to be freed from jail under the government’s early release scheme. This announcement follows intense pressure from Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who raised significant concerns that child sex offenders could leave prison well before the conclusion of their sentences.
The government is currently planning to release about 5,000 offenders in England and Wales early in an effort to make space in overcrowded jails. The prime minister’s spokesperson confirmed that Burnham has asked the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to “conduct an in-depth review of cases to ensure that grooming cases were identified.” According to the spokesperson, “This work is happening urgently,” and the Prime Minister has personally intervened to ensure everything possible is being done so that vile groomers are dealt with in the way their victims deserve.
It is understood that at this stage the review will only seek to identify offenders who might be released early. The government has not yet confirmed whether the review will lead to the formal prevention of any early releases for those convicted of grooming-related crimes.
Kemi Badenoch described the intervention as “another U-turn secured” and “another review from Burnham following my letter.” She pointed out that indecent assault was not included in the list of offences that the government said would be excluded from the early release scheme. In a letter to the Prime Minister, she wrote: “On Tuesday, you told the country that those convicted of grooming offences would be excluded. Your own government has now put in writing that some of these men will be released early anyway.”
Badenoch highlighted that many cases of child sex abuse committed before 2004 were charged as indecent assault, including those in Rotherham and Rochdale. She branded the situation a “betrayal of victims” and urged Burnham to publish the full list of offences that remain eligible for early release. Five men convicted of indecent assault as part of a historical grooming-gang case in Bradford are among the prisoners whose offences were not included in the list of exclusions.
Under changes previously made by Burnham, people sentenced for rape, serious child sex, and grooming offences will not be eligible for early release from October. However, some prisoners who are not excluded could be freed after serving a third of their total custodial sentence rather than after 40% or 50% of their term. Burnham stated he had wanted to exclude more offenders, but prison overcrowding prevented this, noting that making more prisoners exempt was not possible without the prison system collapsing and putting the public at much greater risk.
The prison population in England and Wales on 3 August was 86,495, which was 97% of useable capacity. The number of places in jails has not kept pace with the significant rise in the prison population in recent decades under successive governments. The justice secretary said about 5,000 extra releases will take place in 10 batches from October, down from about 6,000 before the revision.
The changes are due to be phased in, beginning with prisoners serving sentences of fewer than 575 days, eventually extending to inmates jailed for 12 years or more by June 2027. There are specific concerns regarding offenders convicted of indecent assault under sections 14 and 15 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956, which were not included in the government’s list of exclusions.
Five men who were jailed in October 2005 after being convicted of indecent assault for abusing a teenage girl in Bradford in the early 2000s could be eligible for early release under the current scheme. Similarly, in December 2024, Ajaz Karim was jailed for 21 months after he was convicted of indecent assault for sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl at the school where he was a sports coach. In another case, Shahid Hussain was jailed for eight years in September 2024 after he was convicted of indecently assaulting a 14-year-old girl in Rotherham.
Earlier this week, Justice Secretary Alex Norris apologised to families affected by the early release scheme, saying they were “carrying the can from previous failures.” The impact of these policies has caused widespread distress among victims’ families.
The mother of PC Andrew Harper also said she was “devastated” to learn two men jailed after her son was killed will still be eligible for early release. PC Harper, 28, was killed in 2019 when he was dragged by a car down a country road as three teenagers fled the scene of a quad bike theft in Berkshire. His family previously said they had received a letter from the Ministry of Justice confirming that two of the offenders could be included in the early release scheme.
As the government moves forward with its plan to alleviate prison overcrowding, the scrutiny on which specific offences qualify for early release remains high. The Prime Minister’s office maintains that the urgent review is a necessary step to balance the operational requirements of the prison system with the need to protect the public from dangerous offenders.
In another case, Shahid Hussain was jailed for eight years in September 2024, after he was convicted of indecently assaulting a 14-year-old girl in Rotherham in 2003.
