Essex Boys gangland killer Michael Steele is released from jail despite ministers' last-ditch bid to keep triple murderer behind bars
Essex Boys killer Michael Steele has been released from jail after 27 years despite a last-ditch attempt by ministers to keep him behind bars.
Along with accomplice Jack Whomes, the triple murderer killed Tony Tucker, 38, Pat Tate, 37, and Craig Rolfe, 26, with a pump action shotgun in Rettendon, Essex, in 1995.
He was jailed for life at the Old Bailey three years later aged 55 after being found guilty of murder and conspiring to import drugs into the country.
After Whomes's release in 2021, Steele, now 82, has also been freed after a decision by the Parole Board, the Ministry of Justice told the BBC.
A spokesperson said: 'Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Craig Rolfe, Tony Tucker and Pat Tate.
'This decision was made by the independent Parole Board after a thorough risk assessment.
'Michael Steele will be on licence for the rest of his life, with strict conditions and intensive probation supervision. He faces an immediate return to prison if he breaks the rules.'
The Parole Board first ruled that his imprisonnment was 'no longer necessary for the protection of the public' back in February and released the murderer on licence.
(Left to right) Execution victims Patrick Tate, Anthony Tucker and Craig Rolfe, who were found in a Range Rover with extensive injuries
But the move was stalled after Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood branded the decision 'legally irrational' and caled on the body to reconsider.
After a 'thorough' risk assessment, the Parole Board pressed on with the move to free Steele, despite previously expressing concerns about his chances of reoffending.
It had said of his crime: 'Mr Steele had offended for financial gain and out of greed.
'He had sought to maintain a level of status or respect from others by exerting power. There had also been an element of thrill-seeking in his actions.'
However, it noted his behaviour in prison had shown a 'marked improvement' and a psychologist commissioned by his legal team told the panel the risk levels of release were 'minimal'.
The killer will be required to surrender his passport and cannot own a boat, airplane or firearm. He will also be required to reside at a designated address.
Steele has maintained his innocence since being convicted.
His three victims, known as the Essex Boys, were found dead in a Range Rover on isolated farmland near Chelmsford, after each being shot in the head by the shotgun.
Tate, meanwhile, had also been blasted in the stomach.
Spotting the vehicle on a snowy morning in December, farmer Peter Theobald and his friend Ken Jiggins initially thought they were poachers.
But they soon discovered they had fallen victim to a horrific slaughter, with their identities only established through their fingerprints, such was the brutality of their injuries.
During the trial in 1998, the court heard that the trio had been ambushed amid a row about drugs.
Steele, from Great Bentley, near Colchester, was handed a minimum prison term of 23 years, which elapsed in 2019.
The convictions have been the subject of some controversy and are the subject of a new Criminal Cases Review Commission probe after new evidence was found and submitted earlier this year.
The CCRC previously said there was 'no real possibility' of the verdicts being overturned.
And Essex Police has said the case was 'exhaustively examined' and there was no fresh evidence to dispute the original verdicts.
But David McKelvey, a former Met Police detective chief inspector, believes Steele was convicted on the basis of a poor witness account by informant Nicholls.
Mr McKelvey, who arrested Nicholls in the first place before he turned grass, told the BBC in February: '(Steele) should never have been convicted in the first place.'
Connections were made between the killings and the 1990s rave scene - including the drugs death of Leah Betts in Basildon.
It was thought she was sold the drugs by Tony Tucker as she celebrated her 18th birthday at a nightclub where security was controlled by his outfit; one theory was that the executions were done in revenge.
The killings later inspired a number of films, including Essex Boys starring Sean Bean, which coined the popular term for the killings.
It also inspired the Rise of the Footsoldier film series, which featured fictionalised depictions of the three murdered men and their killers.
But its interest among ghoulish true crime enthusiasts led to the brother of the man who discovered the bodies begging people to stop visiting the area.
Bill Theobold, whose brother Peter made the discovery, said in 2023: 'Most people just go down there without asking and some weren't even born when it happened - it's very bizarre.'
Timeline of the Essex Boys murders
7 Dec 1995: Anthony Tucker, Pat Tate and Craig Rolfe found shot dead in a Range Rover in Rettendon
May 1996: Darren Nicholls arrested for drugs offences - but he turns grass and gives evidence against Michael Steele and Jack Whomes
Jan 1998: Steele and Whomes jailed for life at the Old Bailey
July 2000: Essex Boys starring Sean Bean is released, putting the killings in the public eye again
October 2001: Case referred to the Criminal Cases Review Commission for the first time
February 2006: Court of Appeal rejects appeal against convictions.
February 2013: Steele appeals against his conviction again, and it is refused
January 2016: Steele's appeals again - but it falls
May 2018: Whomes has life sentence reduced
January 2021: Parole Board approves Whomes for release from prison
February 2025: Parole Board approves Steele's release
March 2025: Justice Secretary seeks to intervene but her intervention is refused
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
15 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Magic circle executive banned for sexual misconduct at karaoke bar
A former employee at one of London's most prestigious law firms has been banned from working in the legal profession after touching a junior colleague's bottom in a karaoke bar. Vivek Ramsaroop has been punished after the solicitors' watchdog found that he grabbed a fellow worker's waist and started 'rubbing himself' against her while on a work night. At the time, he was an employee at the magic circle firm Linklaters. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has ruled that the incident, which took place in November 2022, amounted to 'serious sexual misconduct' and banned him from working for other law firms in Britain. As part of its findings, the SRA said Mr Ramsaroop harassed a junior colleague, referred to only as 'Employee A', at a social event organised for Linklaters' London office. The SRA said: 'Whilst at the karaoke bar, Mr Ramsaroop approached Employee A and stood closely to her talking and said the words 'you're gorgeous' and 'you're amazing'.' He then put his arms around her waist and kissed the side of her face for several seconds, the regulator said. 'Shortly afterwards, Mr Ramsaroop started dancing directly behind Employee A, grabbed her waist with both hands and touched her bottom,' the SRA added. Mr Ramaswoop then 'started rubbing himself against' his colleague on the dancefloor 'with his pelvis pressed against Employee A's bottom,' the watchdog said. During his time at Linklaters, Mr Ramaswoop – whose last known address was in Johannesburg – was involved in Linklaters' legal practice but not employed as a solicitor. He specialises in mergers and acquisitions. The SRA said Mr Ramaswoop's conduct constituted 'serious sexual misconduct' as it involved repeated physical contact directed towards a junior colleague. As a result, the regulator issued a so-called 'Section 43' notice against Mr Ramaswoop, which restricts firms from employing individuals deemed to have committed misconduct, even if they are not working as lawyers. Mr Ramaswoop was also ordered to pay a portion of the SRA's £1,350 legal bill. The regulator says it expects law firms to take a 'zero tolerance' approach to sexual misconduct, which covers any abuse of a person's 'professional position to initiate or pursue an improper sexual or emotional relationship'. Linklaters is one of Britain's four 'magic circle' law firms. Last year, it paid its partners an average £1.9m, while its newly-qualified lawyers received starting salaries of £150,000. A Linklaters spokesman said: 'This relates to an incident involving a former employee who had joined the firm a few weeks prior. We had reported the matter to the SRA and the individual left the firm with immediate effect.'
BBC News
19 minutes ago
- BBC News
Kent County Council Doge head quit due to 'doubt' over project
The tech entrepreneur who quit heading up Reform UK's Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) says he did so because the resignation of the party's chairman left him with "a bit of doubt" about the future of the 11 months in the role, Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf resigned on Thursday alongside Nathaniel Fried, who was said to be leading the unit. Speaking to Politics South East, Mr Fried said the outgoing chairman was "spearheading" the Doge initiative and expressed concerns that the scheme "might not turn out how I wanted it to" without councillors at Kent County Council (KCC) have said it is "business as usual" following the double resignation. KCC deputy leader Brian Collins said "absolutely nothing's changed" following the double departure."We have a focus, we have a mission, that mission hasn't changed, business as usual," he told BBC South East on Friday Mr Yusuf and Mr Fried were part of the Doge team which attended its first meeting at KCC on said the meeting was "very productive" but the party admitted it did not know how long it would take for the unit to produce scheme, modelled on the Doge unit created by billionaire Elon Musk as part of Donald Trump's second term as US president, aims to identify and eliminate wasteful to claims that the "engine room" of the unit had now been lost, Mr Collins said: "The engine room is the 57 councillors that have been elected to run this council." 'Circus coming to town' Conservative councillor Sarah Hudson described the current situation as a "mockery".She said: "It's like a circus coming to town, and then you've got various clowns, and they've thrown their toys out of the pram at the first issue that's come along."Mr Fried said he took on the project for free because he felt the "social contract between tax payers and the British government has been a little bit broken".Asked what people in Kent would make of the resignations, just four days into the project, he said he was sure they were "disappointed"."I have great confidence in the local councillors who are working very hard at the moment, especially the head of the council," he said."I'm sure that people are disappointed but thus is politics."A spokesperson for Reform UK said: "The work of the Reform UK Doge unit will continue. The team is larger than just one man."Many Reform-controlled councils already have their respective Doge cabinet members, so this work was happening before and will continue after."
Daily Mail
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Rising star rapper took his own life after telling partner he 'was tired and ready to go' after mental health battles when he couldn't see his daughter
A rising star rapper and producer took his own life after struggling with his mental health when he was stopped from seeing his daughter, an inquest heard. Jevon Ellis, 30, accessed mental health crisis services three times in the run-up to his death on March 28 last year. But those who knew the rising star said he was 'very good at pretending he was OK to the outside world' because 'his career as a rapper and producer was very important to him.' Mr Ellis had played at numerous festivals, had his music used on a Nike campaign and was featured on a list of NME's top 100 new artists to watch. But in 2023 his mental health began to deteriorate, which was compounded by the fact that access to his daughter had been withdrawn. His latest partner, who had a son with Mr Ellis, said in a statement that 'keeping up an image was important to him at the cost of his overall health.' Mica Simms, who had met Mr Ellis in 2018, said she was aware that he had struggled with his mental health and had been suicidal before they had got together. 'He was having trouble regulating his emotions,' she said. 'Jevon was incredibly intelligent and loving but he would often speak about committing suicide as a means of escaping his emotional turmoil.' Coroner Jean Harkin added: 'She (Mica) was aware Jevon had something wrong with his mental health and he was suicidal at times from very early on in their relationship. 'He had told her about a previous suicide attempt that had taken place when he was with the mother of his eldest child.' The mother of his eldest child was not named, although both she and Miss Simms were present for the hearing at Inner West London Coroner's Court. On the morning of March 29 last year, Mr Ellis left Ms Simms' house and sent her a message saying 'he was going to end it all, that he was tired and ready to go.' 'He expressed he was sorry but couldn't continue the battle,' Mrs Harkin added. Ms Simms tried to communicate with him but received no answer. Mrs Harkin added: 'After a while she knew something was different this time. 'She felt in her heart that he had gone through with it.' Ms Simms went to where Mr Ellis had been living at Wimbledon Art Studios in south west London but a building manager couldn't gain access to his unit. She then asked her stepfather to try and break in and he found Mr Ellis hanging. PC Michelle Brown was the first police officer at the scene and identified the musician from his passport which was found nearby. There was no note, the door was locked from the inside and Mr Ellis had no injuries, save those caused by the noose around his neck. At 10.01am that day he had sent a text message saying: 'I'm on the chair. Bye' and had also said he 'should just hang the demon' referring to himself, the court heard. Det Sgt William Hanlan, of the Met Police, told the court he was brought in to look into whether some of the interactions between Mr Ellis and Ms Simms 'may have led to Jevon taking his own life.' There were tens of thousands of messages found on Mr Ellis' Macbook, which highlighted a 'very fractured' relationship, Det Sgt Hanlan said. 'They clearly love each other but they clearly have a love-hate relationship also,' he said. 'There has been quite a lot of discussion about suicide,' he added. 'Mica is understanding of Jevon's struggles but you can also see levels of frustration from her sometimes. 'There is a lot of heated discussion but there's nothing to suggest Mica knew or encouraged Jevon to take his own life.' He added that there had been domestic incidents between them from both sides and they were 'both either the aggressor or the victim at one time or another.' He concluded that no one else had been involved with Mr Ellis' choice to end his life. Dr Marcus Hughes, consultant psychiatrist at St George's Hospital in Tooting, south west London, outlined his team's contact with the 30-year-old and said he had no recorded history of poor mental health prior to 2023. He had three emergency assessments - one in February 2023 and two in December the same year. The one in February took place after Mr Ellis took an overdose and was taken to A&E, but he said he wasn't suicidal and had had taken the tablets 'impulsively' and 'was expressing remorse.' He was given details of a crisis line, and Dr Hughes added: 'I think what came through very strongly was his distress at not having access to his daughter.' He was given further details for Fathers4Justice and Families Need Fathers, a charity for parents, and was encouraged to return to the hospital if he felt he was unable to remain safe. But he returned for a second time on December 13, 2023, saying he was having suicidal thoughts. Dr Hughes added: 'He said he wanted help to be a better father and felt he needed therapy. 'He also spoke about cult-like behaviours he experienced producing music in Los Angeles, from big names and people of power.' Just over a fortnight later he was brought in for a third time following fears he may hang himself in his music studio. A friend abroad had called British police when he sent her a text showing an image of a noose. But he promised he wasn't suicidal and just wanted the clarification of a diagnosis, Dr Hughes added. Asked if he felt Mr Ellis had received appropriate treatment, Dr Hughes said: 'He was offered a lot of opportunity of access to mental health services and the type of problems that seem to be emerging are some emotional instability and suicidal thoughts that he wasn't completely open about. 'The likelihood is we might have helped him had he engaged with treatment over a period of months in the community, rather than emergency presentations.' The court heard that in July 2023 he told a GP that he had low mood, but wasn't suicidal and he was given a community mental health team referral, agreeing that counselling may help. A telephone consult followed in December 2023 and talking therapies were suggested but he didn't answer the phone. A further telephone consultation was offered the same month but Mr Ellis said he preferred to be contacted by email as he was abroad. There was no record of Mr Ellis being known to mental health services in Coventry, where he had lived from the age of 10 up until he moved to London in 2017. A toxicology report was clear of drugs and alcohol and the cause of death was found to be hanging. Mr Ellis' sister Ria, who attended the hearing with his parents, helped raise £13,500 for Mr Ellis' children on a Just Giving page. She said 'the Ellis family cannot even begin to convey our gratitude for the outpour of love we have received from everyone who loved and knew Jevon.' And she added: 'If you knew Jev, you knew that nothing mattered more to him than his children… 'Your kindness and compassion will help to provide Jevon's children with a glimmer of hope during this dark period of grief which is all he would have wanted.' Coroner Mrs Harkin recorded a verdict of suicide. She said: 'Jevon had no reported mental health illness prior to his later years. 'Jevon reported distress at not seeing his daughter. It's clear he saw his son, but not his daughter. 'I'm satisfied that the help that was given to Jevon was appropriate. In addition the police investigated Jevon's death and found no evidence of third person involvement. 'He was given the opportunity to look into any problems he thought he had by contact with the crisis team and other organisations and there is no evidence that any mental health diagnosis developed over time. 'Jevon performed the act himself without a third person and by performing that act Jevon intended to die. 'Although there was no note of intent it's clear that Jevon had considered hanging as a form of ending his life.' And she added: 'It's very clear that Jevon was a gifted musician. He was charismatic, confident and also encouraged to pursue his dreams. 'He was kind, generous and a mentor to others and he had two children that he loved. 'I hope that these memories give his family some comfort.'
