Grooming gang survivors demand 'urgent action' from Andy Burnham to block perpetrators from early release scheme

Two grooming gang survivors have called on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to take "urgent action" to block serious offenders from being eligible for the early release prison scheme.

Speaking to GB News, Sarah Wilson and Jade Belgrove declared that the Labour Government "must stop" offenders including sexual abusers to be released early.

Having sent a letter to Mr Burnham calling for him to take action, Ms Belgrove told GB News stressed that survivors and victims "cannot risk having these people released back into the community".

She said: "I wrote the letter because it needs to be addressed and it needs to be urgently put into place as soon as possible. We can't risk having these people back into the community.

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"We all know how much of a danger they are through our own experiences and to future victims, so I wrote the letter out of pure frustration and anger, trying to make Andy Burnham listening to us."

Ms Wilson argued that a pause in the legislation on early release "doesn't really mean anything".

She said: "All it really means is that we've got extra time to try and exempt dangerous offenders from the early release scheme.

"The problem is, how long is it going to be paused for and how much of a short time have we got to make sure that this does not come into power?

"We're not just thinking about ourselves, we're thinking about future survivors and victims and how they're going to feel, because they're not going to want to come forward if all the perpetrators are going to get is a slap on the wrist, and we need to stop it."

Representing the abuse survivors, solicitor Amy Clowrey told GB News that the pause in legislation is simply "another downgrade of survivors' rights".

She said: "We've talked previously about how this has impacted survivors and the sleepless nights they've had, the worry about the welfare of themselves and their family.

"Andy Burnham needs to take urgent action to make sure that the perpetrators of serious sexual offences and violent offences are not released early under this new scheme."

Ms Clowrey stressed that the survivors consistently feel "sidelined" by the Government in getting full justice for the abuse they suffered at the hands of grooming gangs.

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She said: "The resounding feeling for the people that I represent was that they just felt that they were being sidelined again when this was such an important issue.

"We are pleased that it's been brought to the attention of the Government, but the Government should have acted before then, and we would encourage them to listen to survivors today and take urgent action."

Asking the survivors what they would say to Andy Burnham, Ms Wilson said she would "plead" with the Prime Minister to end the early release of abusers.

She told GB News: "I'd plead with him to revoke and exempt dangerous offenders from this new release scheme.

"I'm not too sure what I would say to him, it'd just come straight off the tongue as soon as I'm face to face with him.

"So if I do get the chance to meet him face to face, I'm sure I'll have a couple of chosen words for him."

Ms Belgrove said: "I'd just pray and plead that he will do the right thing. To be honest, it is completely a matter of right and wrong.

"Do the right thing by us women and survivors and for future women and survivors, because it's not acceptable what they're doing to us at the minute."

The Prime Minister has said of the pause in the scheme: "Keeping the public safe will always be my top priority.

"I am working closely with the new Justice Secretary and have instructed my team to put a pause on the changes that were due to start in September.

"No prisoners will be let out under this policy until we have conducted an urgent review and done everything we can to minimise risk to the public. Where changes are needed, we will not hesitate to make them."

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