Britain not releasing murderers to make room for anti-immigration protesters
Britain not releasing murderers to make room for anti-immigration protesters
“Have I got this right? Starmer is releasing foreign murderers and child rapists early from prison in order to imprison those who protest against foreign murderers and child rapists?” said a Facebook post published on Aug 11.
“The UK is releasing 5k prisoners to make room for anti-immigration protestors,” said another Facebook post.
Two posts on X amplifying the narrative received more than 93.5 million views.
However, the Ministry of Justice in a July 12 statement outlining their plans to tackle prison overcrowding - more than two weeks before the riots – excludes inmates sentenced for murder or rape.
“The government will temporarily reduce the proportion of certain custodial sentences served in prison from 50% to 40%, with important safeguards and exemptions to keep the public safe and clear release plans to manage them safely in the community,” the statement said.
“Sentences for serious violent offences of four years or more, as well as sex offences will be automatically excluded.”
A court must impose a life sentence if a defendant is convicted of murder, according to a Sentencing Council for England and Wales fact sheet. It said: “Depending on the facts of the offence the starting point for the minimum time served in prison for an adult ranges from 15 to 30 years.”
Ministry of Justice chief Shabana Mahmood said in a statement to the UK’s parliament on July 18 that she expects around 5,500 prisoners to be released early in September and October.
The government announced the early release of some prisoners on July 12, more than a fortnight before the murder of three girls in Southport, England, on July 29. This means the scheme could not have been designed to make space in UK prisons for those convicted for offences during the post-Southport unrest that saw protests and violence in several British cities, including Liverpool, Bristol and Hull.
The unrest was sparked after false information spread on social media that the suspect in the Southport attack was a radical Muslim migrant. Police said Axel Rudakubana, a 17-year-old boy who has been charged with the murder of three girls, was born in Britain.
The Ministry of Justice declined to comment.
