A prisoner released early under the Government's scheme has admitted stabbing a mother-of-two to death. Robert Sabat, 59, pleaded guilty to murder at the Old Bailey on September 17, and is due to be sentenced on Wednesday (October 7).
Dickiesa Nurse, 42, was stabbed at her home in McCormick House, Tulse Hill, London, on October 27 last year. Sabat had previously been in prison for harassment and knife offences but was let out early under a previous round of releases. He was sentenced at Kingston upon Thames Crown Court to 12 months in prison in May last year for possession of a knife and harassment without violence, and was released under the scheme by October.
Probation investigation under way
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Dickiesa Nurse who have suffered immeasurably. This was a horrific crime and it is right that this offender faces the full force of the law. The Probation Service has been carrying out a thorough investigation to see what happened in this case."
The spokesperson added: "We are determined to always have the prison places needed to keep dangerous offenders locked up. That is why we're building thousands more prison places and tagging offenders at record levels to track and manage those in the community."
A Government source said fewer than 0.5% of those under Probation Service supervision go on to commit serious further offences, which they acknowledged have a "devastating" impact.
Family tribute
In February, a GoFundMe page was set up to help pay for Ms Nurse's funeral, in which her loved ones described the mum-of-two as a "joyful soul" whose presence brought "light, laughter and love". The family added: "Our sister Kiesha's absence has left a space in our lives that can never be filled."
Under the latest tranche of releases, almost 5,000 prisoners are set to be freed in stages over the next year as the Government tries to ease prison overcrowding. The latest wave began last week when prisoners thanked Prime Minister Andy Burnham as they celebrated walking free from jail early. One prisoner said to the press as he left HMP Durham in the North East of England: "Justice system, what justice system? Thank you Andy Burnham." An inmate released from HMP Cardiff after being jailed for burglary admitted he will "probably be back in the next month or two".
Tagging questions
On Sunday, Justice Secretary Alex Norris was unable to say how many prisoners freed early from jail have been tagged. Officials said there was a presumption that all criminals released early would be fitted with GPS tags, but Mr Norris said it was "too soon" to have the numbers.
Asked how many of those released so far had been tagged, Mr Norris told the BBC on Sunday: "I don't have that figure today, it only happened on Thursday. You know, there can be a bit of a lag. We don't have that number. But you know, we're very candid about who's leaving prison and when they do."
Ministers intervened to exclude rapists and the most serious child sex offenders from early release amid criticism of the policy over the summer. The rules will also not apply to those guilty of manslaughter, such as the killers of Pc Andrew Harper, who died in the line of duty in 2019.
