Victim Learns of Possible Early Release
Carol Higgins, a mother of two, was raped repeatedly by her father, Elliot Appleyard, from the ages of 13 to 16 in the 1980s. He tried to convince her that it was "normal for dad and daughter to live as man and wife." It took her 35 years to secure justice, with Appleyard finally jailed for 20 years at Leeds Crown Court in 2019. However, a few days ago, Carol received a letter informing her that her abuser may be released in September after serving just seven years under Labour's early release scheme.
Emotional Impact on Victim and Family
Carol told Metro: "Reading that letter just overwhelmed me, I couldn’t stop shaking. It has made me feel how he made me feel for years – completely worthless." She described her childhood as violent, with her father owning shotguns and threatening to shoot her mother. In 2017, when the CPS decided to prosecute him, he saw Carol at a car boot sale in West Yorkshire and launched a vicious verbal attack. Carol said: "He got right in my face and started shouting he will f***ing have me. He has nothing left to lose. What if he kills me when he gets out? My children are terrified, saying they are worried he will come over with guns."
Government's Early Release Scheme and Public Safety
The government has faced pressure to ensure rapists and abusers are exempt from the early release scheme, which aims to free up prison space. The scheme includes prisoners convicted of manslaughter, rape, and other sexual offences. Many released offenders are expected to be under strict licence conditions, including electronic monitoring. However, Carol argued that this is pointless, as she and many others lived with their abuser. She told Metro: "It’s alright saying they will be tagged, and they won’t be allowed to have children around them, but they can’t monitor everything that goes on in their home."
Statistics on Child Sexual Abuse
According to the Truth Project, an independent inquiry into sexual abuse, 47% of child sexual abuse was perpetrated by a family member, and 42% of all assaults took place inside the family home.
Ministry of Justice Response
The Ministry of Justice told Metro: "This government is fixing the prison crisis it inherited – building 14,000 more prison places and reforming sentencing so we can always lock up dangerous criminals. Without this decisive action, prisons would have run out of space entirely, making it impossible for convicted offenders to be sent to prison and risking the complete breakdown of the criminal justice system, putting the public at untold risk. Public safety and supporting victims is our top priority. Offenders who a judge has deemed the most dangerous are automatically blocked from early release, and prisoners who behave badly while behind bars face being locked up for longer. Anyone who is released faces tough rules such as restrictions on their movements, tagging, being banned from attending public events, pubs and clubs, backed by our record £700m investment into probation and 1,300 extra probation officers."
