Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
56 TERROR PRISONERS FREE EARLY
Fury as fiends cheat law change sparked by knifings
A TOTAL of 56 terrorists have been freed in the past two years after serving half their sentences.
The fiends were let out before a law change banning early release in the wake of a knife atrocity in London back in February.
Figures uncovered by the Sunday Mirror show 34 were freed early in 2018. And another 22 strolled out of jail last year.
Last night critics accused the Tory Government of “shameful” soft-touch justice and said it was playing Russian roulette with innocent lives.
Chris Phillips, the former Head of the National Counter Terrorism Security Office, said: “It was shameful they were given early release.
“What happens with terrorism suspects is when they go to court they get a very large sentence from judges, but then they appeal that and their sentence gets cut down anyway.
“What we ended up having was people who have done very bad things not only getting a lesser sentence than they already had, but then having that divided in two.”
He added: “The criminal justice system was playing
Russian roulette with lives. Those who were crying out for these people to be released don’t have to live next door to them.”
Mr Phillips said there was “no way” the police and security services had the resources to monitor released terror prisoners.
The law change came after Sudesh Amman, 20, stabbed two people on Streatham High Road, south London, and was shot dead by police.
He had been released just 10 days earlier, having served half of his sentence, and was under surveillance.
Just over two months earlier, fanatic Usman Khan killed two in the London Bridge stabbing horror. He had been let out halfway through a 16-year terror term. Those freed early also include Mo Shahjahan, who was part of a gang jailed alongside Usman Khan for plotting to bomb the London Stock Exchange.
He was given an indeterminate sentence but is believed to have served only eight and a half years.
Kazi Islam served half of an eightyear sentence for grooming a teenager with Asperger’s to kill UK soldiers.
Islam was jailed in 2015 for trying to persuade Harry Thomas to buy bomb ingredients but let out in 2019.
A Parole Board spokesman said: “Terror offenders are now subject to a parole review before they are released from prison.
“The Board welcomes this change in legislation which safeguards the public. Our members have received rigorous training on how to handle Terrorist Act cases.”