The mother of a seven-year-old boy killed in a drugs lab explosion has pleaded with Andy Burnham to ensure the man responsible is not released early from prison, as the Prime Minister pledges to go further in keeping serious offenders behind bars.
Katherine Errington's son, Archie York, died in 2024 when a blast from a cannabis shatter lab tore through their family home in Benwell, Newcastle. Reece Galbraith was jailed for 14 years after admitting manslaughter, but Ms Errington has been told he could be freed after seven years under government plans to release some offenders early due to prison overcrowding.
Prime Minister's pledge
Mr Burnham announced last week that rapists, child sex offenders and those guilty of grooming gang offences would be blocked from early release when changes under the Sentencing Act come into force in October. On Tuesday, he confirmed he had told Justice Secretary Alex Norris to fast-track plans to create more headroom in the prison system and present them to Parliament in September.
The plans include increasing the removal of foreign national offenders and housing male offenders in cells currently reserved for women. Mr Burnham said he was "increasingly confident" the move would prevent the release of the most serious offenders, such as those convicted of manslaughter over the death of police officer Andrew Harper.
Mother's plea
Ms Errington has urged Downing Street to include Galbraith among those denied early release. She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "Grief is really hard, but trying to fight for justice and what is right shouldn't have to be. It feels like we are always fighting the justice system to keep him behind bars. He is a child killer – is it really such a big ask?"
She added: "I was disappointed that they announced sex offenders and rapists would be exempt, but not included us. If you can make them exempt, why not child killers? I've seen that Andrew Harper's killers probably won't be getting out and I understand that for killing a police officer. But who is to say that Archie would not have become a police officer? That is what he wanted to do."
Petition and wider campaign
More than 2,200 people have signed a petition Ms Errington launched last week, calling on the government to exclude those convicted of manslaughter or serious child abuse or neglect from early release eligibility. The petition also backs the campaign to keep Dana Carr, the mum of murdered County Durham toddler Maya Chappell, behind bars. Carr was jailed for nine years for child cruelty by neglect and allowing the death of a child.
The Prime Minister said he did not want "a single prisoner released early" and was "pressing every single day to go further" to limit numbers freed early. However, he reiterated that it was "simply not possible to prevent all offenders from being released early without the prison system collapsing".
