The family of a murdered toddler has condemned the government's early release scheme, saying it "completely takes victims right back" after her mother became eligible for early release from prison.
Dana Carr was jailed for nine years for child cruelty and allowing the death of her two-year-old daughter Maya, who was shaken to death by Carr's partner Michael Daymond in 2022. Daymond was jailed for life with a minimum of 20 years.
But Carr could now be released early under the scheme aimed at tackling prison overcrowding. Around 5,000 people are expected to be released early, down from 6,000 after rapists and child sex offenders were exempted following a review ordered by Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Family's anguish
Maya's great-aunt Gemma Chappell told the Mirror that her sister received an email from Prison Services around three weeks ago saying early releases could impact their family. "I didn't think it was going to affect us because I thought surely they'll not let such a serious offence cause doubt and I was so wrong," she said.
Gemma welcomed the block on rapists and child sex offenders but said "they shouldn't stop there". She said: "They should continue to be under review about offenses that are committed that are serious. And there's still victims and families out there who face this reality that the person responsible, such as Dana Carr, who was charged with causing and allowing the death of a child and child neglect."
Impact on family
The decision has impacted Maya's dad James. Gemma said: "She [Carr] knew it was going on, but did nothing to protect Maya, because she was so obsessed about this guy, and she's going to be released. I mean, that's unimaginable. And the harm that that's going to cause to our family, to James... it's ridiculous that that's going to happen."
Carr lost an appeal to reduce her sentence in 2025, with judges saying the original sentence was "severe, but was not wrong in principle or manifestly excessive". Gemma said the family had asked for the sentence to be extended.
Victims' voices 'not heard'
Justice Secretary Alex Norris said on BBC Radio 4 that the government was directly engaging with victims' families, but Gemma claimed this had not happened with her family. "I've just heard the justice secretary saying 'we've been speaking to victims', no you haven't because you haven't spoken to us. You haven't asked us, what you've done is you've told us," she said.
Gemma also called for continued review of the scheme, saying: "How can they review it within a week? That's ridiculous." The family has been campaigning for Maya's Law, which would share information about a child at risk due to a parent or caregiver's known history. Gemma said the release scheme "strengthens Maya's Law" to protect vulnerable children.
The Mirror has contacted the Ministry of Justice for comment.
