Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ordered an urgent review of grooming gang cases, focusing on offenders who may be eligible for early release under the government's scheme. This decision comes after Tory leader Kemi Badenoch raised concerns that child sex offenders could be freed from jail early.
Ms Badenoch highlighted that indecent assault was not included in the list of offences excluded from the early release scheme. She noted that five men convicted of indecent assault in a historical Bradford grooming-gang case are among those whose offences were not on the exclusion list.
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister stated that Mr Burnham has asked the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to "conduct an in-depth review of cases to ensure that grooming cases were identified." The spokesperson added that this work is happening urgently.
The government plans to release approximately 5,000 offenders early in England and Wales to address overcrowded jails. While Mr Burnham previously announced that some prisoners convicted of rape, serious child sex, and other grooming offences would be barred from early release from October, Ms Badenoch argued that many more types of offenders, including those who sexually assaulted children, could still be freed early.
The review will initially seek to identify offenders who might be released early. The government has not confirmed if the review will prevent any early releases of offenders convicted of grooming-related crimes.