One year ago Gary Newlove was murdered by a suspect on bail. It seems an appropriate time for Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Herbert to make a commitment to toughen both bail conditions and the punishments for those who break those conditions. Mr Herbert's proposals are summarised in the graphic on the right. They are the first announcements in a week that the Tories have identified as 'crime week' in their summer grid. David Cameron has returned from holiday today and is expected to play a part in this themed week.
Nearly 13,000 people were fined for breaching bail conditions last year but the average fine was just £61.07. Latest data says that 13% of defendants charged with murder, and 85% of manslaughter suspects, were on bail. Commenting Mr Herbert said:
“The current system is not working – bail is too easily granted, frequently breached and improperly enforced. Public confidence is undermined when bail conditions are routinely breached, offenders hold the criminal justice system in contempt, and new victims of crime are created unnecessarily. It is time to tighten the bail laws and put public safety first.”
Speaking on Radio 4 this morning, Mr Herbert pointed to similar reforms already enacted in Scotland. These had included a consideration of "public safety" in the decision to grant bail and had enjoyed cross-party support. They also seem to be consistent with the European Convention on Human Rights.
Jack Straw had basically promised to do all this anyway and Mr Herbert admits that Scotland already has. A summer non-story.
Posted by: Vincent Wall | August 11, 2008 at 11:09
My understanding is that Jack Straw has refused to substantially alter the presumption so that those suspected of murder are unlikely to get bail but if it's right that one in six murders is committed by someone on bail then we've got to do something! The Government also haven't changed the rules, as the Tories seem to propose to do, so that people previously convicted of certain crimes are unlikely to get bail if arrested for similar crimes.
According to Helen Newlove this morning Adam Swellings had breached bail many times and was still given bail to go and murder her husband, it looks like the Conservatives want to address this point, but I haven't heard anything from the Government about this. I'm glad that some serious thought has gone into this important area.
Posted by: JamesK2 | August 11, 2008 at 11:44
How many more prison places will this policy require?
Posted by: Number cruncher | August 11, 2008 at 19:00
Number Cruncher asks: How many more prison places will this policy require?
The answer to which has got to be - find out and build the prisons pronto! And while we are on stop early release and have honest sentencing.
Posted by: Matt Wright | August 11, 2008 at 21:33
At last – at long last …hallelujah … we have the prospect of a Home Secretary who will genuinely put the safety of the public as his priority. I know that there are some readers who say that Jack Straw has already promised all this but when has Jack Straw every delivered any of his promises. He is a gust of hot air and nothing more.
At the last general election I remember, vividly, talking to a woman whose son had been murdered (well technically it was manslaughter but the effect was very much the same!) by a drug dealer who would shortly be allowed to walk the streets where she then lived. This poor woman was emigrating because of the pain and distress that this dreadful prospect caused her. Similarly, it is the Newlove family that has moved away from the area where the children grew up and I feel certain that this has something to do with the fact that it will not be very long before the thuggish little brutes that kicked and beat Gary to death can walk those same streets again.
Posted by: Eveleigh Moore-Dutton | August 12, 2008 at 11:29
Yes, let's get tough about bail for those who are a known danger BUT let's also think of those who are innocent, accused and put on bail for months if not years. One young woman has lost thousands, her family suffer hardship, she can't get another job and she's lost the chance of higher education all because she was wrongly accused and put on bail for 257 days. This is not justice. Even terrorism suspects have a limit of 42 days detention.
Posted by: Chris Johnson | August 14, 2008 at 21:45