Child murderers, IRA assassins, pensioner torturers and police killers are all roaming the streets after being released from prison despite their heinous crimes, MailOnline can reveal today.
On Tuesday, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood allowed around 1,700 inmates out of prison with more than 5,000 in total set to be freed over the next six weeks – including several who said they are now ‘lifelong’ Labour voters.
And this week it was revealed that sadistic killer Steven Ling has been cleared for release from his life sentence despite having raped a woman before stabbing her 60 times.
If he walks free Ling will be on the streets again after just 27 years along with multiple other convicted murderers who were released despite carrying out crimes that are still considered some of the most shocking in British legal history.
These include IRA bombmaker and police killer Liam Quinn, who served just 11 years before his release. Road rage killer and gangster Kenneth Noye was seen hobnobbing with stars at the O2 arena last year despite killing two people in his life and his involvement in Brinks-Mat.
Mary Bell remains a free woman. Fellow female killer Sarah Davey was just 14 when she tortured grandmother to death then dumped her body in a canal. She is also on the streets.
Today MailOnline reveals the murderers walking Britain’s streets today – and who might soon be joining them.
Sarah Davey – Sadistic schoolgirl who was just 14 when she tortured grandmother to death then dumped her body in a canal
Sarah Davey who at the age of 14 killed frail pensioner Lily Lilley with her 15 year old friend and then laughed as she dumped the body in the canal in a wheelie bin
Victim Lily Lilley was found dumped in a canal
Sarah Davey was 14 when she and a friend beat frail Lily Lilley, 71, in her terraced home.
Davey – now one of Britain’s most notorious young killers – and her friend befriended lonely Lily at her home in Failsworth, Greater Manchester.
After being invited in for a cup of tea, they taunted her, squirted her with shampoo and cut her legs with a knife. Her body was dumped in a wheelie bin before they pushed it through the streets and overturned it into a canal.
They had choked her with a gag tied so tightly that her false teeth were driven down her throat. A framed photo of her son as a baby was thrown into the bin. The pair then took over her house, making hundreds of calls from her phone and used her pension money to buy crisps and chocolate.
Davey – now in her late 30s – was locked up indefinitely in 1999 for what the judge described as an ‘unspeakably wicked’ murder.
But she was released from jail on March 23 this year after a decision by the Parole Board.
Davey repeatedly breached her conditions for the original murder. She was first released in March 2013 but kept getting recalled – and has been freed on licence seven times before.
Davey, who can be seen during her time in prison decked out in make-up and glam clothes, has now been released
The case drew parallels with that of the killers of little Jamie Bulger.
Shocking photos have seen her decked out in make-up and glam clothes while in jail.
She even enjoyed nights out and shopping trips.
In a recent attempt to be released from prison, she argued she should be freed but was rejected after the opioid painkiller subutex was found in her system.
News of her release has sparked outrage. Tory MP Nigel Mills said: ‘It’s disgraceful. This is a truly evil crime. It is appalling. This is not justice. She is laughing at justice.’
A source said: ‘It’s horrific. The poor victim died in the most distressing and humiliating way imaginable.’
Mary Bell – Strangled two young boys in Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Bell shocked the nation when she strangled to death two young boys in Scotswood, an inner-city suburb in the West End district of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1968.
Mary Bell (pictured) shocked the nation when she strangled to death two young boys in Scotswood, an inner-city suburb in the West End district of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1968
Then just 10-years-old, Bell killed her first victim, Martin Brown, 4, in a derelict house before two months later strangling Brian Howe, 3, in a wasteland.
She then slashed little Brian’s legs and belly with a razor and scissors.
In the subsequent trial, Mary was convicted of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
The jury took their lead from her diagnosis by court-appointed psychiatrists who described her as displaying ‘classic symptoms of psychopathy’
She was named throughout the trial, and after her conviction received a great deal of attention from the British press.
In 1980, aged 23, Bell was released from prison having served 12 years and was granted anonymity and a new name.
This allowed her to start a new life, and four years later she gave birth to a daughter.
Road-rage murderer Kenneth Noye has been hobnobbing with friends and even offered lucrative guest speaker gigs since he left prison.
Noye, 76, was released from jail in 2019 after serving a life sentence for fatally stabbing motorist Stephen Cameron, 21, by the M25 in 1996.
The former gangster, who also killed a police officer in 1985, is banned from socialising with members of the criminal underworld as part of the terms of his release.
MailOnline revealed Noye previously risked being recalled to prison for breaching his parole conditions after he enjoyed a night out with one of the Hatton Garden diamond thieves.
Noye met up with career criminal John ‘Kenny’ Collins at a James Bond-themed evening in Epsom, Surrey.
Road-rage murderer Kenneth Noye (pictured) has reportedly pulled out from a well-paid guest speaker role after parole bosses threatened him with prison
Noye is on licence from a life sentence for stabbing to death Stephen Cameron in 1996 and then fleeing to Spain. Two years later he was traced while on the run and returned to Britain
Drinks: Noye (left in the blue jacket) was at the 02 Arena to watch the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on a £200-a-head hospitality ticket alongside guests including EastEnders Jessie Wallace
Kenneth Noye (left) and Hatton Garden robber John Collins (right) ‘got on like a house on fire’ at the black-tie event last year. Collins even won a $100 bill in his Christmas cracker
Stephen Cameron, 21, (pictured) was stabbed to death by Noye on a slip road. His 17-year-old fiancee Danielle Cable was a witness
The heist was planned and carried out by six elderly men who were experienced thieves, all of whom were arrested, pleaded guilty and received prison sentences in March 2016.
Four other men were also tried on suspicion of involvement; three were found guilty and sent to prison, while the fourth was cleared.
Collins was released in 2018 after serving half of his sentence – but he was recalled to prison in 2019 after failing to pay back millions of pounds stolen in the raid.
He was ordered to pay back £7.6million but Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard he had ‘neglected to co-operate’.
On-the-run Noye was caught in 1998 in Spain.
The gangster also helped launder £26 million in gold bullion from the Brink’s-Mat robbery in 1983.
Robert Thompson – ‘Ringleader’ who murdered James Bulger and was given a £1.5million new identity funded by the taxpayer
On November 24, 1993, both John Venables and Robert Thompson were found guilty of the abduction and murder of James Bulger.
After the guilty verdict both Robert Thompson and Jon Venables were detained ‘at her majesty’s pleasure’.
But in June 2001 after intense rehabilitation and a six month review, a parole board determined the then 18-year-olds were no longer a threat to public safety.
Robert Thompson, who was painted as the ringleader during the infamous trial, has not reoffended and is said to be in a relationship with a man who knows his true identity
Thompson and Venables tortured two-year-old James (pictured). The brutal attack on the innocent toddler included throwing paint in his eye, pelting him with stones and bricks and dropping an iron bar on his head
A surveillance camera shows the abduction of two-year-old James Bulger from the Bootle Strand shopping mall February 12 1993. 38 people spotted the twisted killers with the innocent toddler
After spending eight years behind bars for the murder of James Bulger, the killers were released on a life licence.
They were also handed new identities to protect them from vigilante attacks.
After serving eight years for the brutal crime he committed against two-year-old James Bulger, Robert Thompson has not re-offended.
It was reported in 2006 that he is in a stable gay relationship with a man who is aware of his true identity.
It is thought Thompson’s relationship persists to the present day, with claims he has adjusted well into the North West community where he resides.
During the trial, Thompson was branded the ‘ringleader’ of the murderous pair.
Detective Phil Roberts who was on the Merseyside’s serious crime squad told The Sun: ‘I think Thompson was in charge, but they both attacked James.’
David McGreavy: ‘Monster’ who murdered three children because one was crying and impaled their bodies on railings
The ‘Monster of Worcester’ who murdered three children before impaling their mutilated bodies on a fence outside their home was released from prison in 2019.
David McGreavy, 73, murdered Paul Ralph, four, and his sisters Dawn, two, and nine-month-old Samantha at their home in Worcester in 1973.
But the children’s mother Elsie Urry, 68, was told by Victim Support that he has been freed after 46 years. She said at the time: ‘I feel like killing him if I got hold of him.’
He was a family friend and lodger at the family’s home in Rainbow Hill, claimed he killed the children because one of them would not stop crying.
Triple child murderer David McGreavy, left outside jail, murdered Paul Ralph, four, and his sisters Dawn, two, and nine-month-old Samantha at their home in Worcester in 1973
Mrs Dorothy Ralph with her three children who were murdered by David McGreav
McGreavy, then 21, had been babysitting the children while Ms Urry – then known as Dorothy Ralph – went to work in a pub, while her then husband had been out.
McGreavy was jailed for life in 1973. Paul had been strangled, Dawn was found with her throat cut, and Samantha died from a compound fracture to the skull.
The date was Friday, April 13, 1973. Mother Elsie Ralph, was 23 and working as a barmaid in Worcester.
Her husband Clive Ralph had gone to collect her from work and had left their children in the care of David McGreavy, a family friend and lodger.
The children knew him well, and had played with him happily in the past. The couple thought they had no reason to worry about the welfare of their children.
Yet, when they returned to their home in Gillam Street, Worcester, they discovered that the police were waiting for them.
An officer escorted them to the local police station and broke the news: Paul, four, Dawn, two, and baby Samantha were all dead.
The couple were told McGreavy had admitted killing them, but that police were still looking for their bodies. Later that night, they were found in a row, impaled on a neighbour’s spiked garden railings.
McGreavy, 21, who had been kicked out of the Royal Navy, reportedly told police that Samantha had wanted her bottle and wouldn’t stop crying.
‘I put my hand over her mouth and it went from there,’ he said. ‘It’s all in the house. On Paul I used a wire. I was going to bury [Paul] but I couldn’t… I went outside and put them on the fence. All I can hear is kids, kids, kids.’
Harry Roberts: Triple murderer released despite carrying out attacks on police called: ‘The most heinous crime for a generation’
Harry Roberts looked like any old man in Tesco when he was spotted a few years ago.
The then 80-year-old was seen stocking up on groceries at a shopping centre just outside Peterborough.
But Roberts is a triple police killer.
He was jailed for life for the murders of Detective Sargent Christopher Head, 30, Detective Constable David Wombwell, 25, and PC Geoffrey Fox, 41, in West London in 1966.
Despite his horrific crime, he was released from Littlehey Prison in Cambridgeshire in 2014, sparking public outrage.
Wearing a blue bomber jacket and grey trousers, Roberts blended in with other shoppers as he strolled around the store.
On November 15, 1966 he was handed three life sentences for what the judge described as ‘the most heinous crime for a generation or more’.
However the families of those he murdered spoke out against Roberts’ release on the anniversary of the massacre.
The 80-year-old stocked up on biscuits at a trip to the supermarket in Peterborough
Pc Geoffrey Fox, 41, left, Detective Constable David Wombwell, 25, centre, and Detective Sergeant Christopher Head, 30, right, were murdered on August 12, 1966
On August 12, 1966, Shepherd’s Bush CID officers PC Wombwell, PC Fox, 41, and DS Head were on patrol near Wormwood Scrubs prison when they spotted a van on Braybrook Street.
Harry Roberts, who has enjoyed a normal life since being released from jail
Inside was Roberts with his accomplices John Duddy and John Witney, who were preparing to carry out an armed robbery.
When the unarmed officers approached, Roberts opened fire with a Luger pistol.
Roberts shot at the policemen in Braybrook Street while children were playing nearby.
He killed Det Con Wombell and chased and shot Sergeant Head.
One of his accomplices then shot Geoffrey Fox.
Duddy and Witney were soon caught but Roberts remained on the run for nearly 100 days, sparking Scotland Yard’s biggest ever manhunt.
He relied on his training as a soldier to survive and was eventually found near Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, living in a camouflaged den made out of plastic bags and branches.
On November 15, 1966, Roberts was given three life sentences with a 30 year minimum tariff.
His two accomplices are now both dead.
Howard Wilson: Former policeman turned bank robber who murdered two cops and shot another in the face
Howard Wilson murdered two police officers, despite having been one himself once. He shot another in the face
Constable Edward Barnett was murdered by Wilson
Former cop Howard Wilson was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1969 for murdering two police officers and seriously injuring a third in a house in Glasgow.
He left crime-fighting to become a career criminal.
The three officers had spotted Wilson acting suspiciously outside a flat near Craigie Street police office in the city.
When challenged in the flat, Wilson pulled out the same gun he had used in a bank robbery earlier that day and shot all three. Two men, Constable Edward Barnett and Detective Constable Angus McKenzie, died.
Wilson was jailed for life and spent 33 years in prison after pleading guilty to the two murders. But he was released in 2002.
The Scottish Police Federation (SPF) said at the time it was worried because such a heinous crime should mean a full life term.
Liam Quinn: American-born IRA who shot dead a rookie police officer in central London in 1975 but was released after just 11 years
Quinn murdered a police officer in London after an IRA bomb factory was discovered.
Quinn had been staying in a flat used for explosives by the Provisional IRA.
Officers spotted a man acting suspiciously and questioned him.
That man was Quinn and her ran off and three officers gave chase.
PC Stephen Tibble was passing by on his motorbike. He was off duty but gave chase too and overtook the suspect, got off and tried to block his path.
Quinn pulled a gun and shot him three times in the chest. He fled and got back to his native San Francisco.
He was found and arrested and spent 13 years fighting extradition from the US, which he eventually lost.
He was jailed for life in 1988 with a minimum sentence of 30 years.
But part of a deal with Sinn Fein under the Good Friday Agreement, he was freed from the high-security Portaloise Prison 11 years later in April 1999.
….AND THE NEXT KILLER WHO COULD SOON BE FREE
Steven Ling: Murderer who was jailed for life for raping and stabbing woman 60 times before carving swastikas onto her body
A sadistic killer who brutally raped a woman before stabbing her 60 times in a frenzied Christmas Day murder has been cleared for release from his life sentence.
Twisted farm worker Steven Ling carved images including swastikas and crosses into Joanne Tulip’s body during the depraved 1997 attack at his home in Stamfordham, Northumberland.
Ling, then 23, was jailed for life a year later and told he must serve at least 18 years before being eligible for parole.
The Parole Board has now recommend him for release, according to the Telegraph, despite a campaign by Ms Tulip’s family to keep him behind bars.
Sadistic Stephen Ling attacked Joanne Tulip at his home in 1997, raping her then stabbing her 60 times before carving depraved symbols into her body
Joanne Tulip was 29 when she died at the hands of farm worker Stephen Ling, who was jailed for life with an 18-years minimum tariff
In July, her mother Doreen Soulsby branded a secretive Parole Board hearings ‘a farce’, saying: ‘There’s no consideration for victims at all.’
Two psychologists recommended that Ling should be released and placed on a risk management plan.
Psychologist A, instructed by the prison, said she believed the risk Ling poses is ‘not imminent’ and is ‘manageable in the community’, adding: ‘I believe that now means his risk is at a level where he does not need to be kept in prison anymore.’
Psychologist B told the Parole Board: ‘I believe he meets the test for release and no longer needs to be detained for the protection of the public.’
Ms Soulsby has been fighting against Ling’s release, saying it would be a ‘nightmare’ if he were freed.
Doreen Soulsby has said it would be a ‘nightmare’ if her daughter’s killer was released into the community
Ms Soulsby has been campaigning to keep Stephen Ling in prison
She successfully persuaded Dominic Raab, then the justice secretary, to block Ling’s attempt to move to an open prison in 2022.
During Ling’s Parole Board hearings in July, he opted not to appear on camera.
Ms Soulsby, who watched proceedings via a link, said at the time: ‘It’s just a farce. The fact that you can’t see or hear the offender is just ridiculous for it to be a public hearing.
‘I thought, at last, he is going to be accountable for what he has done, he will have to face it all.’
The proceedings heard that Ling had been struggling with anxiety and stress, which his prison offender manager said was linked to ‘the fear of judgment, shame, guilt’ from his offending.
