Brendan Harris, one of the teenagers convicted of murdering 20-year-old Sophie Lancaster in a brutal park attack in 2007, was released from prison on licence in May 2026. Harris was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 18 years for the attack, which also left her boyfriend, Robert Maltby, with severe injuries.
Attack in Bacup Park
Sophie Lancaster and Robert Maltby, then 21, were walking home from a friend's house in Bacup, Lancashire, on August 11, 2007, when they were approached by a group of teenagers. The youths initially engaged in friendly conversation but soon turned hostile, shouting verbal abuse and mocking the couple's piercings and goth-style clothing. The gang punched Maltby unconscious, and when Sophie threw herself over him to protect his head, they turned on her.
Brendan Harris and Ryan Herbert repeatedly kicked and stamped on Sophie's head. One witness reported that Harris "turned and volley kicked her like a ball in the flight." The attackers fled the park, bragging about the attack, though one later called an ambulance.
Severe Injuries and Death
Paramedics arriving at the scene found the couple in a critical state. The damage to Sophie's face was so severe that they could not initially determine her gender or identify her facial structures. Her mother, Sylvia Lancaster, later said she "couldn't recognise her own daughter." Both victims were placed in comas. Maltby suffered brain swelling but regained consciousness and was discharged after two weeks. Sophie's condition worsened; she was transferred to two hospitals and placed on life support. After 13 days, life support was withdrawn, and she died on August 24, 2007.
Convictions and Sentences
In October 2007, Brendan Harris, Ryan Herbert, Joseph Hulme, David Hulme, and Daniel Malley were indicted for murder and grievous bodily harm. Harris and Herbert were sentenced to life imprisonment with minimum terms of 18 and 16 years, respectively. Joseph Hulme received 5 years and 10 months, David Hulme 5 years and 10 months, and Daniel Malley 4 years and 4 months.
Release of Perpetrators
Ryan Herbert was released on licence in March 2022. Brendan Harris followed, released on licence in May 2026. Upon Herbert's release, Sylvia Lancaster criticised the justice system, describing it as "one that fails to deliver justice." She died unexpectedly in April 2022, a month after Herbert's release.
Sophie Lancaster Foundation
In 2008, Sylvia Lancaster founded the Sophie Lancaster Foundation to "stamp out prejudice, hatred and intolerance everywhere." A spokesperson for the foundation stated: "The late Dr Sylvia Lancaster OBE responded to enquiries regarding the perpetrators of Sophie Lancaster’s murder in a personal capacity, and not in her role as chief executive of the Sophie Lancaster Foundation. The foundation itself has no comment to make on the perpetrators. At this time, we choose instead to remember all victims of hate crime - those, like Sophie, whose lives were taken, and those whose lives have been irrevocably changed by hatred and violence. For many survivors and families, the impact is lifelong. We honour Sophie’s memory by reaffirming our mission to Stamp Out Prejudice, Hatred and Intolerance Everywhere, and by continuing our work to challenge hate in all its forms."
