Sexual abuse survivor who was drugged and raped as a child condemns Labour as she fears prison cuts could see her attacker released early
A 30-year-old mother of five in Coventry has spoken out against the Labour party's plans to release sex offenders early from prison. Jade Belgrove was just 14 years old when she was drugged and raped twice by family friend Simon Tyler in 2010.
Jade Belgrove was left "broken" after receiving a letter from the Ministry of Justice informing her that her rapist could be released from prison two years earlier than planned. The letter, which she described as "completely generic," was the result of the Sentencing Act 2026, which was passed in January. This act enables criminals to be released early to ease overcrowding in jails.
Ms Belgrove is not alone in her concerns. The Victims Commissioner and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner have also spoken out against the planned early releases of offenders convicted of crimes against women and girls. Labour MP Jess Phillips, who resigned as safeguarding minister in May, has led a revolt by raising concern about the early release of sex offenders. She said, "They need to halt all releases related to violence against women and girls until they can prove that proper risk assessments are being done in every case."
Ms Belgrove's story is a harrowing one. She was groomed and raped by Simon Tyler, a close family friend who was even made her godfather after the rapes by her unwitting parents. She has bravely waived her legal right to anonymity and launched a petition calling for sex offenders to be exempt from the early release scheme, which has gained over 64,000 signatures to date. She met with Kemi Badenoch and several other senior Conservative MPs in Parliament on Tuesday to discuss the issue, but was not able to meet any high-profile Labour politicians, despite them being responsible for the planned changes.
The Ministry of Justice has stated that offenders who a judge has deemed the most dangerous are automatically blocked from early release. However, Ms Belgrove believes that this does not necessarily apply to her attacker, Simon Tyler, who is still being considered for sentence reduction. She fears that if he is released, he will continue to pose a threat to her and other victims.
Ms Belgrove's case highlights the need for greater consideration of the impact of early release on victims of sex crimes. She said, "It just completely invalidates what happened to me. It's unfortunately what the judicial system does to us as victims." She now suffers from PTSD and is "absolutely petrified" for the day he walks free. The Ministry of Justice is still determining the scale of sentence cuts, with a decision to be made by the end of August. It remains to be seen whether the government will heed the calls of Ms Belgrove and other campaigners to halt the early release of sex offenders.
Source: Daily Mail
