Andy Burnham's promise to “push the system as hard as I can” to keep child killers behind bars has been welcomed by the family of a murdered County Durham toddler. The Prime Minister pledged action this week to prevent criminals responsible for a child’s death from being made eligible for early prison release.
Mr Burnham told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) during a visit to Newcastle on Wednesday that he would do “every single thing I can” to ensure that the likes of Reece Galbraith are not released early. Galbraith was jailed for manslaughter in connection with the Violet Close drugs lab explosion which killed seven-year-old Archie York, whose mum Katherine Errington has been campaigning to prevent child killers being let out of jail earlier than planned under controversial Government proposals to free up space in overcrowded prisons.
Family's Reaction to the Pledge
Ministers have also been urged to stop the mother of Maya Chappell having her jail time reduced. Two-year-old Maya died after being violently shaken by her mother’s boyfriend, Michael Daymond, at her home in Shotton Colliery in 2022. Daymond was jailed for life and Maya’s mum, Dana Carr, was locked up for nine years after being found guilty of child cruelty by neglect and allowing the death of a child. Like Galbraith, Carr is among the offenders who could potentially be given a reduced jail term under the Sentencing Act 2026 changes.
Maya’s great aunt, Gemma Chappell, said Mr Burnham’s words on his trip to the North East “give us some hope” and praised his willingness to listen to victims’ families. However, she cautioned that his pledge must be followed by meaningful action, ahead of justice secretary Alex Norris presenting a plan to Parliament on September 1 to spell out further changes to the early release scheme to keep more serious offenders locked up.
Call for Concrete Action
Gemma said: “We are encouraged by what he said, but we will not be satisfied as a family until we see the policy and we definitely know what it means for Carr being released. At the moment it is still up in the air. It is the same for other families, like Jacob Crouch’s family and hundreds of them up and down the country.
“I definitely welcome what Andy Burnham said and his recognition of the seriousness of these cases. The fact that he would look at every possible means of doing more is a significant strep. But now we need that to be translated into action.
“We have been in limbo for about a month. It has been up and down and it does not help families. But the thing we can take from it now is that the Prime Minister has said he will do everything he possibly can to keep those people in jail.”
Next Steps and Exemptions
She added: “It gives us some hope, but we also have to be realistic because we have been let down so much before. At this stage, it is just words. Now we are waiting for September 1.”
Reports this week have suggested that the Government could seek to exempt criminals who committed “unlawful act” manslaughter from early release. Gemma has urged ministers to ensure that allowing the death of a child is also among the serious offences excluded from the early release scheme.
She said: “Carr was not locked up for a small offence. She was locked up for allowing the death of a child and for child cruelty and neglect. Maya was only two years old. I think we as a family and the wider public are entitled to ask whether offences like this should ever fall into a scheme designed to release prisoners earlier than the sentence originally required.”
After entering Downing Street, Mr Burnham ordered a pause on the early release plans and later announced that rapists, child sex offenders and those guilty of grooming gang offences would be ineligible. He has since promised further action and instructed Mr Norris to fast-track plans to create more headroom within the prison system.
