David Sumberg MEP
Date:
30\05\2002
HINDLEY MUST DIE IN JAIL
Euro MP David Sumberg has responded angrily to a European Court ruling which could open the door for Moors Murderer Myra Hindley to be released from jail.
In a landmark decision the European Court of Human Rights ruled the former Home Secretary Jack Straw breached the rights of convicted murderer Dennis Stafford by keeping him in jail longer than recommended by the Parole Board.
The court ruled that the final decision on a prisoners release should be made by a judicial body not a politician.
Mr Sumberg said the ruling set a dangerous precedent as Hindley lodged an appeal with the European Court in 2000 which is yet to be heard.
“This ruling is deeply flawed and is yet another example of Europe interfering in British law where it has no business,” he said. “The Home Secretary’s power over deciding whether a person stays in jail is at the core of the British legal system . And the reason for that is very clear. When capital punishment was abolished a compact with the public was made. That compact was that if a person had committed a murder or murders that were uniquely heinous then they would never be released. As the Moor Murders fall into this category Hindley should stay in prison until the day she dies. That is I believe what the public wants and all Home Secretary’s have understood that.”
Mr Sumberg said the Home Secretary was best placed to decide whether murderers should stay in prison beyond their tariff rather than a judge.
“I worry about this decision because it is detaching the public from a very important aspect of the law which should reflect public opinion,” he said. “Unlike the Home Secretary judges are not accountable and are far less responsive to public opinion. In some ways this is a strength but in cases like the release of Myra Hindley – an issue close to the publics’ heart - it is not.”