Fears that six other Category A prisoners are being set free by Parole Board failings after controversial Worboys decision
The Justice Secretary admitted he is probing whether similar mistakes have been made by the Parole Board in half a dozen other dangerous cases
JUSTICE chiefs were last night urgently probing whether six more highly dangerous prisoners are roaming Britain’s streets before it was safe to release them.
In a chilling echo of the Worboys scandal, the Parole Board confirmed that half a dozen lags went straight from Category A cells to release in the same deeply flawed process.
Last night Justice Secretary David Gauke told MPs he is probing whether mistakes have also been made by the bungling prison release service in those decisions.
Monster black cab rapist John Worboys was due to be released in highly unusual circumstances where a top security level prisoner went straight back onto the streets without going via an open prison.
Category A prisoners included those convicted of murder, rape, terrorism and treason.
And dangerous drug lords, armed robbers and gun runners are also given the highest level of prison security.
Any Category A prisoner that escaped would be considered “highly dangerous to the public.”
Yesterday a series of errors were exposed by the High Court in the Parole Board’s decision to release Worboys.
Updating the Commons on the blunder, Mr Gauke set out new restrictions on parole hearings and ordered his department to toughen up the process.
But he admitted that there were six cases recently of a similar nature.
Ex-Minister Anna Soubry asked him: “What assurances can he give us that there are not other cases where the Parole Board has released people who have been deemed dangerous in circumstances where it should not have?”
And Mr Gauke replied: “I have requested that the Department look closely at circumstances where there is a decision to release a category A prisoner directly.
“That happens very rarely—I think there have only been six in recent months—but I have sought the Department’s reassurance that there is nothing to be concerned about in those cases.”
Last night Mrs Soubry told The Sun: “The Government must reassure people that other offenders like Worboys have not been wrongly released.”
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She added: “When Parliament returns after Easter I will be wanting the results of those investigations to be sure the Government is doing its job and keeping us safe.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “The Secretary of State has asked the department to verify that there are in fact six cases of Category A prisoners that were released – and to check if there were any concerns in those cases and in any other release decisions from Category A.”
Last night the Parole Board confirmed the figure of six cases last year.