PAROLE BOARD RESPONSE TO CONVICTION OF YOUSEF BOUHADDOU

14 Mar 2006 08:00 AM

"The Parole Board deeply regrets the circumstances that led to the death of Robert Symons and the fact that he was murdered by a man who had recently been released from prison on parole. I want to convey our deepest sympathies to Robert Symons' family for their terrible loss. The Board is committed to doing everything it can to learn the lessons from such cases that will help to help prevent further such tragedies.

"Parole Board members are tasked with making judgements about whether and when it is safe to release offenders back into the community. The safety of the public is always our overriding concern.

"In 2003 the Parole Board set up a Review Committee, chaired by a High Court judge, to look into cases where prisoners on licence have been recalled to prison suspected of violent or sexual offences. The Committee looks for any learning points from such cases for both the Board and its partner agencies.

"The Parole Board Review Committee has already considered the case of Yousef Bouhaddou. His previous convictions were for burglary and aggravated vehicle taking and whilst there was some violence used during the commission of these offences there was nothing approaching the level of violence he used against Robert Symons. The risk assessments provided to us assessed him to be a low to medium risk of re-offending and all of the professional reports recommended that he be released.

"In the light of these factors the Review Committee concluded, after careful consideration, that the decision to release Bouhaddou was defensible given the information available to the panel and the offence for which he was recalled, and for which he has now been convicted, was not predictable.

"The most important objective of the Parole Board is to ensure that rigorous risk assessment procedures are in place to underpin our role in protecting the public. The quality of information available to Parole Board members is crucial to the success of this risk assessment process and I warmly welcome the commitment made by the Home Secretary, in his 5 year strategy for protecting the public and reducing re-offending, to provide a full report on each offender that we consider for release."

Christine Glenn, Chief Executive of the Parole Board

Notes to Editors

The Parole Board is the independent body that protects the public by making risk assessments about prisoners to decide who may safely be released into the community and who must remain in or be returned to custody. The Parole Board was established under the provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 1967 to advise the Home Secretary on the early release of prisoners. The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 established the Board as an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body.

The Parole Board's aims and objectives are linked closely with those of the Home Office in seeking to reduce re-offending and in protecting the public. The Board works closely with the Home Office, the Probation Service, the Prison Service, voluntary organisations, the legal profession and others involved in the criminal justice system.

For further information please call Tim Morris, Head of
Communications for the Parole Board, on 020-7217 0564 during office hours, or on 07725-927954 out of hours, look on the Parole Board website at www.paroleboard.gov.uk , or e-mail
tim.morris5@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

ENDS

14 March 2006