It’s absolutely appalling and shows that there is something very wrong
PM condemns errors that freed sex attacker before rampage
The Prime Minister yesterday described the rampage of serial rapist Joseph McCann as “appalling”.
Boris Johnson was speaking after the probation service apologised for mistakes that wrongly freed him from jail allowing him to prey on women and children.
McCann, 34, abducted, raped and assaulted victims aged between 11 and 71 in Watford, London and the North West during a cocaine and vodka-fuelled rampage in April and May. He is facing a life sentence after a jury found him guilty of 37 offences at the Old Bailey on Friday.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) launched an inquiry into why McCann was not recalled to prison after he committed a burglary while on licence for an earlier offence.
He was instead handed a fixed prison sentence and released automatically half way through, without parole board involvement, in February.
Boris Johnson was questioned about the McCann case while on the campaign trail in Cheadle, near Stockport.
Asked whether anyone in government should take responsibility, the Prime Minister said: “I think it’s an absolutely appalling case and shows that there is something very wrong and what we’re going to do is, what I’ve said for a long, long time, is that we want to review the way sentencing takes place and the way sentences are served.
“And at the moment, the automatic early release at the half way point for serious sexual and violent offenders is totally wrong, and I said that back in August, and we’re going to stop that.
“We have a Bill ready to go in Parliament, if we can get a working majority on Thursday, we will not only get Brexit done, we will get other things done, including that.”
The probation service has
– Boris Johnson yesterday
apologised “unreservedly” for its “failings” in its handling of McCann.
Following McCann’s arrest in May, the MoJ carried out a serious further offence review into his case.
Of four probation staff in the South East and Eastern division who were directly involved in McCann’s supervision, one was demoted.
An earlier investigation resulted in one member of staff involved with McCann being dismissed and an agency worker’s contract being terminated for “poor performance”, although it was not understood to be directly related to the case.
Mr Johnson added: “We have to look at what happened and we have to make sure we do not have a continual habit of early release for really serious sexual and violent offenders.
“That doesn’t mean you can’t have rehabilitation, it doesn’t mean you can’t do things to ensure you keep people out of prison.
“You can do all sorts of things to work with young people to get their lives back on track, but when someone commits a serious sexual or violent offence they should not be released early.”