Family’s fury as teenage girl’s killer is set to walk free... after only 9 years
THE family of a teenage girl murdered by her boyfriend revealed yesterday her killer will be released after less than a decade in jail.
Michelle Stewart was stabbed to death aged 17 in 2009 by John Wilson, then 20, who was sentenced to a minimum of 12 years in jail.
But her family, from Drongan, Ayrshire, have been told he is to be granted ‘temporary release’ after spending only nine years behind bars. They called it a ‘scandal’.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon yesterday admitted she would also be ‘very upset’ if she was in the same situation as Michelle’s family after Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said they have been ‘let down’ by the justice system.
Michelle’s father Kenny Stewart, 58, said: ‘The reaction when I heard what the letter was about was disbelief. I felt bad. I said, “Are these people trying to rub it in?”.
‘I thought the sentence was too short without considering this guy for vocational leave and home visits.
‘If the judge has given him 12 years, he must do 12 years before he sees the light of day. It’s only nine-and-a-bit years – that’s a scandal. It is not life, it is 12 years – that’s a chapter.’
Asked if Wilson seemed to regret his actions in court, Mr Stewart said: ‘No remorse whatsoever. He didn’t once say he was sorry, nothing.’
He said families of victims should be allowed to give evidence to the Parole Board before decisions are made about early release. He also raised fears Wilson will be at ‘high risk’ of reoffending when he is released back into the community.
During First Minister’s Questions at the Scottish parliament yesterday, Miss Sturgeon said she will ask newly appointed Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf to meet the family to discuss the case.
Asked what he would tell him, Mr Stewart said: ‘You need to look at the complete justice system, as in sentences. Where’s the deterrent for this knife crime?’
Michelle’s police officer brother, Steven, 34, said: ‘Jail is like a holiday camp for some of them, that’s what they’re telling us. They get everything they want.’
Her mother Josephine, 55, said it was a ‘real blow’ to receive the letter from the Scottish Prison Service on Saturday, notifying her that Wilson had been approved for ‘first grant of temporary release’, which it said includes ‘release for work, home visits, short leave, pre-release leave and unescorted day leave’.
Mrs Stewart added: ‘It took me straight back to that night, not that it’s ever been away.
‘I just sat and cried and broke my heart. It’s just over nine years Wilson’s done and that’s him getting out for home visits. It’s one nightmare after another.’
At FMQs, Ruth Davidson said: ‘We keep being told criminals have rights that need to be respected, but who in the Scottish Government is standing up for victims’ rights? What reforms are being delivered to correct those injustices?’
She urged Mr Yousaf to carry out a ‘root-and-branch review’ of the way the justice system operates, including greater transparency on sentencing and giving victims and their families the right to speak at parole hearings.
Asked how she would feel if she was in the Stewart family’s shoes, Miss Sturgeon said: ‘I take this opportunity to convey my deepest condolences to the family. If I was in their shoes, I would be very upset to see that letter, as I think every family would be.
‘We have independent processes in place to determine the guilt or otherwise of individuals who are accused of crime and to determine sentences.
‘As Ruth Davidson is aware, we also have independent processes in place to determine whether prisoners should be eligible for parole or other forms of release. I will certainly look closely at the individual case she has raised.
‘As I say, those decisions are taken independently but, from a policy perspective, where we consider changes are required, we will not hesitate to make those changes.
‘However, it is important that our justice system operates independently of ministers in individual cases.’
On the calls for a root-andbranch review of the justice system, Miss Sturgeon said: ‘It is right that people are punished appropriately – I absolutely agree with Ruth Davidson about that – and it is absolutely right that the interests of victims are at the centre of our justice system.
‘But we also owe it to victims and society to make sure that we have a justice system that effectively rehabilitates those who are capable of rehabilitation.
‘Those are never easy balances to get right, but – as Ruth Davidson herself has acknowledged and as her colleagues south of the Border frequently acknowledge – it is important that we continue to make sure that we take all those factors into account in our justice system. We will continue to do so.’
‘He didn’t once say he was sorry... nothing’