Victims will be told details of their attacker’s release
VICTIMS of serious crimes are to get an automatic, legally enforced right to be t old how, when and where their attacker will be released and how they will be protected from them as part of a 12-point code to be unveiled tomorrow.
The new victims’ code laying down 12 fundamental rights will be enshrined in law next year and overseen by a commissioner with powers to sanction or fine police forces, courts, probation and other law enforcement bodies that fail to meet their obligations.
One of the biggest changes will mean victims of violent or sexual offences where the criminal is sentenced to 12 months or more in jail will automatically be opted into a scheme where they are guaranteed rights of appeal and regular updates on their offender.
They will have to be told when the offender is moved to an open prison, when they are to be released and what conditions have been placed on them to prevent them contacting the victim or meeting them in the community.
They will have rights to present their views at parole hearings if they object to the offender’s early release, and to appeal both any release decision and licence conditions if they fear they are not adequate to prevent harassment or accidental meetings.
The detailed “rights” aim to end scandals where families have been left in the dark only to subsequently discover the offender has been released or is about to be let out of jail. Among the cases was that of black cab rapist John Worboys, some of whose victims were unaware of his proposed release on parole.
Another was Robert Browning, who stabbed his former housemate Ben Cargill to death but was released three years into an indefinite manslaughter sentence from a secure mental health unit. Mr Cargill’s mother Judy said: “I didn’t think he would be released for 10 to 15 years. It was like a kick in the stomach.”
Victims previously had to opt in to the “victim’s contact scheme” to be guaranteed progress reports on their attacks. Only half of the 80,000 eligible people exercised their right to do so.
Dame Vera Baird, the victims’ commissioner, said families were often too “hurt” to contemplate making a decision to opt in even though they might come to regret it later. “This can result in huge distress to victims, for instance if they first find out their offender is living in the community when they see them [in] the street,” she said.
The new code will also give victims rights including access to easy-tounderstand documentation, clear and regular information from recording the crime through to conviction, support services and compensation.