A prisoner released early as part of a UK initiative to alleviate overcrowding in prisons committed murder within hours of his release.
Liam Matthews, 26, left HMP Holme House in Stockton-on-Tees on September 18, 2024, after serving less than four months of his 22-month sentence for violently assaulting a victim during a street fight, The Telegraph reported.
Upon his release, prosecutors say Matthews met with his probation officer and a career counselor before he went to a pub and then purchased crack cocaine with his prison release grant. After hours of smoking crack cocaine, Matthews joined two other men in hunting 26-year-old Lewis Bell "like prey" over a drug dispute.
"This was a pre-planned, sustained attack by a gang who chased him down with weapons in the street," investigating officer David Glass told the court. "They inflicted a number of stab wounds, one of which was fatal, and they left him to die."
Matthews was convicted of manslaughter on Thursday.
Matthews was freed under Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's early release program which aims to free up prison space by releasing certain inmates before their sentences are fully served. Since implementing the program, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) reports that the number of former prisoners returning to prison has increased by over 40%.
Critics argue releases that occur prematurely compromise public safety and allow potentially dangerous individuals back into the community.
