UK PM orders review of grooming gang early release loophole

Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ordered an urgent review to identify grooming gang offenders who could still be eligible for early release under the government's prison overcrowding plan, after concerns emerged over a potential legal loophole involving historical child sex abuse cases.

According to the BBC, the move comes after Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch raised concerns that offenders convicted of indecent assault were not included in the government's list of offences excluded from the early release scheme.

Downing Street said Burnham had instructed the Ministry of Justice to carry out an "in-depth review" to ensure all grooming-related cases were identified.

A spokesperson said the prime minister had "personally intervened" and wanted to ensure "everything possible" was done so that offenders were treated "in the way their victims deserve."

The government, however, has not confirmed whether the review will ultimately prevent any additional early releases.

The controversy centres on offenders convicted under Sections 14 and 15 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956, which cover indecent assault but are not among the offences automatically excluded from the revised scheme.

According to reports, five men convicted in a historical Bradford grooming gang case, along with others convicted in separate child sexual abuse cases, could qualify for early release because their offences were prosecuted under the older legislation.

Many abuse cases in places such as Rotherham and Rochdale were similarly charged before the law was overhauled in 2003.

Badenoch accused the government of making "another U-turn" after her intervention and described the situation as "yet another betrayal of victims".

In a letter to Burnham, she said ministers had assured the public that grooming offenders would be excluded, but government documents suggested some would still benefit from the scheme because of the offences under which they were convicted.

She also demanded publication of the full list of crimes still eligible for early release.

The early release programme is designed to free up prison space as jails in England and Wales operate close to full capacity.

Around 5,000 prisoners are expected to be released in phases from October, reduced from an earlier estimate of about 6,000 after ministers excluded rapists, serious child sex offenders and grooming offenders from the scheme.

Eligible prisoners could be released after serving one-third of their custodial sentence instead of 40 per cent or 50 per cent, depending on the offence.

Burnham has said he wanted to exempt more offenders but argued that doing so risked pushing the prison system beyond capacity.

The prison population stood at 86,495 on August 3, or 97 per cent of usable capacity, highlighting the pressure driving the reforms.