Key facts
- Parents of murdered woman warn of increased deaths if domestic abusers are released early.
- Lee Kendall murdered Michaela Hall two weeks after his early release from prison for assaulting her.
- The Probation Service misclassified Kendall's risk level.
- The government plans to release 5,000 offenders early to ease prison overcrowding.
- Perpetrators of rape, serious child sex offenses, and grooming will be excluded from early release.
- Women's Aid stated that women will die as a result of the policy.
- The Hall family is pursuing legal action against the Probation Service and police.
Parents of a woman murdered by her partner shortly after his early release from prison have warned that more women will die if domestic abusers are included in the government's upcoming early release scheme. Michaela Hall, 49, was killed in her home in Cornwall in 2021 by Lee Kendall, who was serving a sentence for assaulting her. He was released two weeks prior to her murder.
An inquest into Hall's death revealed that the Probation Service had incorrectly assessed Kendall as a medium risk, despite a history of violence including strangulation and threats with weapons, and 34 pieces of intelligence about his abuse. Probation staff cited "horrendous work pressures" as a contributing factor to the error.
Anne and Peter Hall, Michaela's parents, expressed fear that domestic abuse victims nationwide would be "absolutely petrified" by the prospect of their abusers being released early. Peter Hall stated, "There’s going to be more violence and there’s going to be more death. It’s very simple." He questioned the Probation Service's capacity to manage an additional 5,000 prisoners being released.
Starting in October, the government intends to release 5,000 offenders in England and Wales earlier than scheduled to address prison overcrowding. Following backlash, the prime minister intervened to ensure that prisoners convicted of rape, serious child sex offenses, and grooming charges would be excluded from the scheme.
Farah Nazeer, chief executive of Women's Aid, called the inclusion of domestic abuse perpetrators "upsetting and troubling," warning that "Women will die as a result of this." She criticized the government for not allowing survivors adequate preparation time and stated the policy would undermine efforts to halve violence against women. Nazeer also dismissed the government's £10 million investment in victim support as insufficient, noting that support services are already turning away 50% of women and children seeking refuge.
The Hall family, with legal assistance from the Good Law Project, has initiated a legal challenge against the Probation Service and police under the Human Rights Act. They allege a "catalogue of mistakes, laziness and victim blaming" in the handling of Hall's case, including police officers failing to enter her property on the night of her murder despite a call reporting an attack.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson acknowledged the horrific nature of Hall's murder and stated the government is fast-tracking plans to keep dangerous offenders incarcerated. The spokesperson highlighted a record £700 million investment in probation services and £550 million in victim support, alongside increased use of electronic tagging.