Public Protection

I associate my colleagues and myself with the Home Secretary’s statement and give our support in principle, although we await the detail. Last week in the High Court in Northern Ireland, a person was convicted of the murder of Attracta Harron, a senior citizen. That person had previously been convicted of a very serious sexual assault. The conviction was accompanied by a sentence that was widely regarded as being lenient. It was appealed and increased after the person was released upon serving the original sentence. Four months later, the body of Attracta Harron was found, and he was subsequently convicted of her murder. The police said after last week’s court case that that man was the most closely monitored released prisoner in Northern Ireland. What will the new provisions do to protect the wider public from convicted murderers such as the person who murdered Attracta Harron?