NI: Plea on remission for dangerous offenders

Criminal Justice Inspectors (CJI) called in to assess the management of high-risk predators following the shocking Attracta Harron murder case also discovered police who deal with offenders were uncertain of their authority and frightened of breaching human rights requirements.

Officers they spoke to still had to read an independent review into the flawed handling of the retired librarian’s killer, Trevor Hamilton.

Just months after he was released, having served half of a seven-year rape sentence, Hamilton (aged 24) abducted Mrs Harron as she walked home from Mass in December 2003 and bludgeoned her to death with an axe.

He buried the 65-year-old mother of five’s naked body near his home in Sion Mills, Co Tyrone.

Sentencing Hamilton to spend the rest of his life in prison in August, trial judge Mr Justice McLaughlin described his horrific attack as the stuff of nightmares.

But amid public outrage that such a high-risk criminal supposedly under intense supervision was allowed to kill, Kit Chivers, the Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice, was asked to examine internal reviews by the PSNI and Probation and Prison Services.

Mr Chivers’ interim report stressed a key problem in the case was Hamilton’s eligibility for release after serving half of his original rape sentence.

“Had there been provision for parole arrangements to manage the sentence, a board would certainly have thought twice about whether Hamilton was fit to be released back into the community,” it said.

“But that option was not available.”

With planned new sentencing arrangements due to be announced later this month, Mr Chivers’ team insisted it was time to come into line with other UK regions.

“We recommend that the government should bring forward legislation that would have the effect of ending automatic 50% remission for dangerous offenders, create more scope for indeterminate sentences and generally place Northern Ireland on a similar footing to England and Wales.

“We are conscious that this would have significant resource implications, but it is the most important single step that could be taken to improve public protection.”

The CJI also claimed the proper handling of Hamilton after his prison release had not been a high enough priority for the PSNI.

“They failed to attend the inter-agency meetings on sex-offender management regularly, did not communicate adequately either internally or externally and officers on patrol were not sufficiently alert to the danger he posed in their area,” the report said.

“We have seen evidence to suggest that PSNI’s management of sex offenders has improved as a result of this case, but we also highlight several areas where further progress is required.”

Despite finding greater collaboration between the agencies, the CJI called for further co-operation.

Staff from the core agencies could strengthen the process by sharing an office as a co-located team, the interim report said.

It also warned that any high-risk offenders relocated outside of hostels could face less scrutiny.

Although objections have been raised to the facilities in some neighbourhoods, the report said hostels provided an invaluable service where curfews and room searches could be applied along with full monitoring.

Even though the CJI emphasised considerable progress since Mrs Harron’s murder, with the agencies making public protection a higher priority, they also made another six recommendations.

These include that the police should provide wider internal access to the Visor computer system for sharing details on dangerous sex offenders, management work featuring in the Northern policing plan, the agencies starting work on an accommodation strategy, a review of legislation to allow any breaches to be dealt with faster, future serious case reviews following a more detailed format and that the CJI be asked to undertake the most serious reviews.

The report added: “Much remains to be done at all levels."