Justice Secretary David Lammy has intervened for a third time to block a notorious serial rapist from being transferred to an open prison, prioritising public safety over a parole recommendation.
Parole Board Recommendation Overruled
The Parole Board had, for a third time, recommended that Edward Bartley, the 64-year-old dubbed the 'Battersea Beast', be moved from a closed jail to open conditions. This latest recommendation came in December, following similar proposals in 2020 and 2022, which were also blocked by the serving Justice Secretary.
However, David Lammy has now formally rejected this advice, ensuring Bartley remains in a closed prison for at least another two years. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson stated: “Edward Bartley committed appalling attacks against women. Public protection is our top priority which is why the Deputy Prime Minister rejected the Parole Board’s recommendation for a move to open conditions.”
A History of Violent Offences
Bartley's criminal history is extensive and violent. He was first jailed in 1992 for 20 years after a three-and-a-half-year campaign of terror in the Battersea area of South West London, where he attacked five lone women while wearing a mask and carrying a knife.
After being freed in 2004, he raped a 19-year-old woman in South East London just three years later. For this offence, he was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 12 years, a period he has now served, making him eligible for parole consideration.
His criminal record began in youth, with convictions including:
- 23 burglaries admitted at age 15.
- A three-month detention for assault in 1979.
- A five-year sentence in 1983 for robbery, where he tied up and gagged an elderly victim.
Victims' Outrage and Public Safety Fears
The repeated parole recommendations have caused significant distress to Bartley's victims. One victim expressed fury, stating: "The trauma that the victims go through every time the parole board decides to let a monster like this into society is totally unjust."
She questioned the Parole Board's judgement, asking: "What does it take for the Parole Board to see this monster should never be released into society? The parole board is failing society when it comes to women's safety." Another woman, who was raped by Bartley in 1989 when she was 17, pleaded last year: "Being raped is a terrifying experience. Please, please don't let him get out."
The Parole Board defended its process, stating in December that a move to open conditions is only recommended if a panel is "satisfied that the risk to the public has reduced sufficiently to be manageable in an open prison." Despite this assessment, the political decision by the Justice Secretary underscores the government's current stance on managing high-risk offenders.
