Probation ‘failings’ over rapist highlighted

A SERIAL rapist carried out a sex attack spree once freed from prison after “major failings” by a team of “unstable” and inexperienced probation staff, inspectors have found.

Joseph McCann was handed 33 life sentences and jailed for a minimum term of 30 years in December for the string of attacks on 11 women and children last year.

But officials were warned as early as 2011 that he had the hallmarks of a sex offender, and later probation officers missed eight chances to keep him behind bars.

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland asked Chief Inspector of Probation Justin Russell to carry out an independent review of the case. In the first of two reports, Mr Russell said there were “major failings” in how McCann was supervised and this was carried out by an “unstable team” of staff.

McCann saw 10 staff over 11 years with three different probation officers responsible for his case in the months leading up to his prison release in February 2019.

An internal review published by the Ministry of Justice in March laid bare the errors made in the case, including repeated failures to recall him to prison despite officials warning of the risks he posed.

Over 15 days, he abducted, raped and assaulted victims aged between 11 and 71 in Watford, London and the North West.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “We have greatly improved information sharing between prisons and probation officers and all probation staff have received new, mandatory training on when offenders should be recalled.”