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'Difficult to accept': Jersey father reacts to early prison release of his daughter's abuser
ITV Channel's Alexandra Spiceley speaks to a father about his dismay with Jersey's Prison Service
This story contains details readers might find distressing.
The family of a vulnerable disabled teenager in Jersey say they are appalled by the handling of the early release of their child's abuser after she was released from prison six months early.
The woman, who was a carer at the time, was found guilty of two counts of ill-treatment and willful neglect and was sentenced to 12 months in jail.
The court heard that the abuser mocked her victim, shouted in her face, forced her to eat until she was sick, and deliberately took away her wheelchair, making her crawl along the floor.
Describing the trial to ITV News anonymously, the victim's father said: "It was very traumatic.
"Particularly to see someone just 18 years of age - severely disabled, unable to walk, cannot read or write, has a mental age of between 5 and 7, and someone you love to bits - it beggared belief that someone could treat someone in that way."
The father expected his daughter's abuser to serve at least two-thirds of her 12-month sentence: but found out that she would be released from La Moye prison after just six months.
The release happened under the Conditional Early Release License (CER) scheme, which allows prisoners to return to the community before the end of their custodial sentence.
The family were told just one day before her release.
The father says: "We thought we could draw a line as a family, we could help get some assistance from a consultant psychologist and find closure. We could move forward and finally put it behind us.
"To then get a call last Monday [...] that she was going to be released that week was incredibly upsetting - we were gobsmacked."
Under Jersey Law, the Prison has the legal authority to temporarily release a prisoner under the CER scheme on temporary licence after they have been assessed and approved by a panel.
This is made up of a:
Prison governor
Prison probation officer
Prison psychologist
Relevant unit manager
Head of residence
Independent member of the public
However, the family said they were not given the opportunity to share their concerns with this panel, and the possibility or conditions of the woman's early release were never explained to them.
The father adds: "More upsettingly, we were advised that if we had known about the possibility of early release and raised concerns, those issues would have been taken into consideration, would have been reviewed by the panel, and may have resulted in a different outcome.
"I find that very, very difficult to accept."
According to a recent Freedom of Information request, the number of prisoners released under the CER scheme has doubled since 2019:
The 2024 figures are set to continue this trend, with 21 prisoners released up to 30 September.
The victim's father feels that Jersey has failed to prove their commitment to protecting the island's most vulnerable.
He explains: "My wife and I struggle to understand how somebody who committed a crime that the police described as 'appalling'; somebody who was in a position of trust and a team leader; somebody who pleaded not guilty and, by virtue of the fact that she was found guilty, lied in court; is the sort of character that could be considered for early release.
"People need to know that if they carry out an offence against society's most vulnerable they are going to feel the full force of the law with appropriate sentencing that actually means something."
He is now calling for stricter sentences in cases such as his daughter's, as well as a more efficient line of communication between Jersey's Prison Service and victims and their families.
He says: "We have been let down. More importantly, our daughter has been let down and doesn't have a voice to express herself."
In response, the Probation Service and Prison Service has stated:
"The Chief Probation Officer and Acting Prison Governor met with the victim’s family to explain the Prisoner Early Release scheme and listen to the family’s views.
"To grant Early Conditional Release a panel will consider assessments from Prison and Probation Services. In typical circumstances, they will also hear representations from victims via a multi-disciplinary Victim Notification Scheme.
"Unfortunately, in this singular circumstance, the victim’s family were not consulted.
"Although this might not have altered the decision of the Panel, it was recognised that it is always important to consider these views, and the Chief Probation Officer and Acting Prison Governor apologised to the victim and her family for any unintended distress caused.
"Following this failing, extra measures had been introduced to ensure that the early release process has access to victims’ perspectives going forward."
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