‘Essex Boys’ killer Michael Steele to be released from prison in WEEKS after 27 years behind bars over triple killing
ESSEX Boys triple killer Michael ‘Angel of Death’ Steele is set to be released from prison within weeks.
The 81-year-old, convicted of murdering three drug dealers found shot dead inside a Range Rover in 1995 on an isolated farm track at Rettendon, near Basildon, has been granted parole.
Steele has always maintained his innocence over the murders which spawned a series of gangster films.
A Parole Board panel has ruled that Steele is fit for release and will not be a danger to the public.
The panel’s summary said: '’His behaviour in prison had shown a marked improvement and Mr Steele had been engaging more closely with those supervising him.
"None of the witnesses considered that his risks would be imminent if Mr Steele was released…."
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Steele will be subject to strict limitations on the outside including a designated accommodation and restrictions on his contacts.
He must also "be of good behaviour", disclose financial details and any business-related matters, surrender his passport, and to report as required for supervision or other appointments.
Steele will also be subject to an enhanced form of supervision or monitoring including signing-in times, electronic tagging and a specified curfew.
There will be limitations concerning named contacts, his activities and residency, and exclusion conditions to avoid contact with victims and prevent access to firearms.
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He must also meet specified restrictions relating to the use of electronic technology and contact with the media or other publications and not to own a boat, airplane or firearm.
Drug dealers Pat Tate, 37, Tony Tucker, 38, who acted as security for boxer Nigel Benn, and Craig Rolfe, 26, were found dead by farmers in the vehicle on the morning of December 7, 1995.
It is believed they were blasted with shotguns by Steele and Jack Whomes, 63, the night before in a row over a drugs deal.
The discovery of the gangster's bodies was less than three weeks after the death of Leah Betts, 18, who took an ecstasy pill from a bad batch believed to have been supplied by the three victims, sparking national outrage.
An image of her laying in intensive care was released by her policeman father Paul Betts as a deterrent to other youngsters.
The shocking gangland murders spawned a series of gangster flicks started by the 2000 film Essex Boys, which starred Sean Bean, and the Rise of the Footsoldier movies.
PROCLAMATIONS OF INNOCENCE
Steele and Whomes were convicted in 1998 of the grisly murders, but have always protested their innocence.
They were given life with a minimum term of 23 years after being found guilty at the Old Bailey.
Whomes was released in early 2021 and has given no media interviews to protest his innocence, down to strict licence conditions which prevent this, according to supporters.
Although the Ministry of Justice refused to confirm this was a condition of his licence.
Steele's parole hearing in November was previously adjourned for further information after Steele made corruption allegations against Essex Police during earlier parole reviews.
The pair have previously failed to overturn their convictions at the Court of Appeal and in 2023 the Criminal Case Review Commission (CCRC) rejected an application from their lawyers to refer their convictions back to the Court of Appeal.
The application was based on information in a leaked secret Met Police anti-corruption report that detailed how an organised crime boss was secretly recorded on police tape, on the day Leah died on November 16 1995, offering to arrange the murders of the suppliers of the drug that killed her.
The proposal was made to a retired detective suspected of having a corrupt relationship with the crime lord, who was secretly being bugged.
Details of the recording were never disclosed to the defence during the trial of Whomes and Steele, but after looking into the non-disclosure for six years, the CCRC concluded it was not enough to provoke a retrial.
A new application to the CCRC is currently under review after a team of former detectives submitted a dossier of evidence they claim casts doubt on the prosecutions.
In a rare step, the CCRC has accepted submissions from a third party other than the defence, before agreeing to carry out the fresh review of the convictions.
A CCRC spokesperson said: ";Applications have been received in relation to these individuals, and a review is currently underway.
“It would be inappropriate for us to make any further comment while the applications are under review.”
It is understood that the review follows the submission of a dossier of evidence from the team of former Met Police murder detectives who spent about three years reviewing the case before becoming convinced Steele and Whomes are innocent.
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Whomes and Steele were convicted largely on the evidence of supergrass Darren Nicholls, 59, who claimed to be their getaway driver and is now under witness protection.
He agreed to give evidence after being arrested in May 1996 on suspicion of being involved in a cannabis importation.
