Latest news with #CliftonRapist
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Violent criminals denied freedom as parole board toughens approach
Around 700 further dangerous criminals have been denied release from jail in an apparent toughening of approach by the Parole Board. Official data show that three-quarters of prisoners who sought parole in 2024/25 had their applications rejected – the highest proportion for at least five years. It represents an equivalent increase of 700 in the number of prisoners who would otherwise have been previously freed from jail. Among high-profile criminals refused parole requests were Gary Glitter, 81, the former pop star who was jailed for 16 years for sexually assaulting three schoolgirls, and Ronald Evans, 83, known as the Clifton rapist for his sex attacks on women in Bristol. Evans is one of Britain's longest-serving prisoners, having spent over 50 years in jail. Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, was judged to be a continued risk to the public after being recalled to prison for breaching his licence conditions by viewing downloaded images of children. Evans raped and murdered Kathleen Heathcote in 1964 before committing numerous sexual attacks in Bristol in the late 1970s. He was refused parole in December, having been released in 2018 only to be jailed again in 2023 for sexually assaulting a woman in London in 2022. The Parole Board is a quasi-judicial body responsible for deciding whether prisoners serving a life sentence or imprisonment for public protection can safely be released at the end of their 'tariff', the minimum period in custody set by the trial judge. It also decides whether fixed-term prisoners who have been recalled to prison for breaching their licence conditions are safe to re-release. Data published in the board's annual report showed it rejected nearly 13,000 applications by prisoners for parole last year – the most for at least five years. The 75 per cent rejection rate was up from 70 per cent the previous year, and was the highest proportion in any of the past five years, according to publicly available data. Of the 17,165 decisions made by the Parole Board in 2024/25, 3,872 (23 per cent) were to release the prisoner, 501 (three per cent) were to recommend a transfer to open conditions, and 12,790 (75 per cent) were that he or she should remain in custody, according to the figures first revealed by Inside Time, the prisoners' magazine. The Parole Board has come under pressure from successive justice secretaries to take a tougher approach. The apparent hardening in its decisions contrasts with moves by the Government to allow thousands of prisoners on fixed-term sentences to be released early. It follows scandals including the decision – subsequently reversed – to release John Worboys, the black cab rapist, and to free Colin Pitchfork, the double child murderer and rapist who was recalled to prison after breaching the terms of his licence. Lawyers specialising in parole cases suggested that changes by Dominic Raab, the former justice secretary, could have played a part in the increasing rejection rate. He made the release test tougher for some prisoners, gave the secretary of state powers to block individual release decisions, barred probation officers and psychologists from making recommendations regarding releases and appointed more former police officers to the board. While some of his reforms have been reversed, others are still in place. In a letter to the Ministry of Justice, sent in May 2022, the Parole Board said Mr Raab's changes would be likely to lead to fewer releases. In a warning that now appears prescient, it said: 'If our release rate reduced from 25 per cent to 20 per cent, it would increase the prison population by approximately 800 places per year.' One senior solicitor with experience of representing prisoners at parole hearings told Inside Time that Mr Raab's reforms may have had a 'chilling effect' on the willingness of the Parole Board to take a risk by releasing prisoners in borderline cases. The Parole Board denied it had become more risk-averse. The solicitor said the backlog of cases in the Crown Court may also be having an impact, because it means that more prisoners are facing parole hearings with unproven allegations hanging over them, making a release decision less likely. He added: 'There has been a huge amount of new Parole Board members in recent times, and they are just always more risk-averse when they start out.' A second solicitor who specialises in parole cases said other factors could include government moves to increase the involvement of victims in the parole process. The solicitor suggested the 'crumbling' probation service could also be to blame, as parole panels might be sceptical that there was adequate supervision in the community. A shortage of places on offending behaviour programmes in prisons could mean prisoners appearing before parole panels without having completed courses seen as essential to lower the risk they pose.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Telegraph
Violent criminals denied freedom in apparent parole crackdown
Around 700 further dangerous criminals have been denied release from jail in an apparent toughening of approach by the Parole Board. Official data show that three-quarters of prisoners who sought parole in 2024/25 had their applications rejected by the board – the highest proportion for at least five years. It represents an equivalent increase of 700 in the number of prisoners who would otherwise have been previously freed from jail. Among high-profile criminals refused parole requests were the former pop star Gary Glitter, 81, who was jailed for 16 years for sexually assaulting three schoolgirls, and Ronald Evans, 83, known as the Clifton rapist for his sex attacks on women in Bristol. He is one of Britain's longest-serving prisoners, having spent over 50 years in jail. Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, was judged to be a continued risk to the public after being recalled to prison for breaching his licence conditions by viewing downloaded images of children. Evans raped and murdered Kathleen Heathcote in 1964 before committing numerous sexual attacks in Bristol in the late 1970s. He was refused parole in December, having been released in 2018 only to be jailed again in 2023 for sexually assaulting a woman in London in 2022. The Parole Board is a quasi-judicial body responsible for deciding whether prisoners serving a life sentence or imprisonment for public protection can safely be released at the end of their 'tariff', the minimum period in custody set by the trial judge. It also decides whether fixed-term prisoners who have been recalled to prison for breaching their licence conditions are safe to re-release. Data published in the board's annual report showed it rejected nearly 13,000 applications by prisoners for parole last year – the highest number for at least five years. The 75 per cent rejection rate was up from 70 per cent in the previous year and the highest proportion in any of the past five years, according to publicly available data. Of the 17,165 decisions made by the Parole Board in 2024/25, 3,872 (23 per cent) were to release the prisoner, 501 (three per cent) were to recommend a transfer to open conditions, and 12,790 (75 per cent) were that he or she should remain in custody, according to the figures first revealed by Inside Time, the prisoners' magazine. The Parole Board has come under pressure from successive justice secretaries to take a tougher approach towards the release of offenders. The apparent hardening in its decisions contrasts with moves by the Government to allow thousands of prisoners on fixed-term sentences to be released early. It follows scandals including its decision – subsequently reversed – to release the black cab rapist John Worboys, and to free the double child murderer and rapist Colin Pitchfork, who was recalled to prison after breaching the terms of his licence. Lawyers specialising in parole cases suggested changes by Dominic Raab, the former justice secretary, could have played a part in the increasing rejection rate. He made the release test tougher for some prisoners, gave the secretary of state powers to block individual release decisions, barred probation officers and psychologists from making recommendations regarding releases and appointed more former police officers to the Board. Whilst some of the reforms have since been reversed, others are still in place. In a letter to the Ministry of Justice, sent in May 2022, the Parole Board said Mr Raab's changes would be likely to lead to fewer releases. In a warning that now appears prescient, it said: 'If our release rate reduced from 25 per cent to 20 per cent, it would increase the prison population by approximately 800 places per year.' One senior solicitor with experience of representing prisoners at parole hearings told Inside Time that Mr Raab's reforms may have had a 'chilling effect' on the willingness of the Parole Board to take a risk by releasing prisoners in borderline cases. The Parole Board denied it had become more risk-averse. The solicitor said the backlog of cases in the Crown Court may also be having an impact, because it means that more prisoners are facing parole hearings with unproven allegations hanging over them, making a release decision less likely. He added: 'There has been a huge amount of new Parole Board members in recent times, and they are just always more risk-averse when they start out.' A second solicitor who specialises in parole cases said other factors could include Government moves to increase the involvement of victims in the parole process. They suggested the 'crumbling' state of the probation service could also be to blame, as parole panels might be sceptical that there was adequate supervision in the community. A shortage of places on offending behaviour programmes in prisons could also mean prisoners are appearing before parole panels without having completed courses seen as essential to lower the risk they pose.
The Independent
06-02-2025
- The Independent
How a 24-year-old rookie police officer ended the Clifton Rapist's reign of terror
An undercover police officer has told of the moment that an 'evil' rapist grabbed her around the throat and said: 'Don't scream or I'll kill you.' The man who became known as the Clifton Rapist prowled the streets of Bristol's Clifton, Westbury Park and Redland for 18 months in the late 1970s. During that time, he sexually assaulted seven women, leading to warnings to students not to walk alone at night. Ronald Evans was the man behind the attacks. He already had convictions for rape and murder when he moved to Bristol after being released from prison. But in 1979, police did not not know the rapist's identity. In a bid to catch him, male police officers dressed up in long blonde wigs, stockings, high heeled shoes and padded bras and walked the city streets. Female police officers were also sent out in plain clothes as part of Operation Argus. Night after night the team of officers went out hoping to catch the attacker, who they believed drove a yellow Ford Capri, and in the early hours of 23 March 1979, Evans fell into their trap. Rookie Pc Michelle Leonard, then aged 24, was grabbed by an unsuspecting Evans and told 'don't scream or I'll kill you'. Recalling the climate of fear at the time, she said: 'There were a lot of demonstrations, leaflets given to the university, to give out to women, not to walk around on their own. 'I think some of them felt that they had to go around in twos all the time. 'They didn't want to do that, they wanted to have the freedom to go about what they were doing without fear of attack.' She said her role was to walk a pre-planned route near to where previous attacks had taken place. Officers were spaced out along the route, hidden in gardens and communication was maintained via radios. 'Any time you felt you were in danger, you could call it off,' she said. 'As I've walked into Whiteladies Road, the sergeant clocks this yellow Capri, which is in our system, having been around the scene of a rape. 'He realises the driver is identical to the photofit. That photofit was him. 'I just got up to Chantry Road when I heard on the radio that the Capri had pulled up to the Good Food, and the 'Driver was watching Michelle'. 'I'd got into the dark part of Clifton and I'm just about to cross into Chertsey Road when he said 'The driver's got out of the car. He's following Michelle on foot'. 'There was a sort of delay and then it came back 'Attention everybody, this man is on life licence for murder and has previous convictions for rape'. 'I had a moment where I thought, should I give up, or should I continue, and I thought no, I've got to get under a streetlight. 'I could hear his footsteps – I was fine while I could hear his footsteps. As soon as I got to the streetlight, I couldn't hear him anymore. 'As I turned around, there he was on my shoulder. He grabbed me around the throat, around the arm and said 'Don't scream or I'll kill you' and began to drag me back into the garden. 'That was enough for everybody to come out of the bushes, people in the cars all turned up, he realised he had been caught, hit me, pushed me down to the ground and started running. 'Luckily at the end of the road was another officer, and he was arrested.' Evans, who was 38 at the time of his arrest, was jailed for committing sexual offences against five women. He was also convicted of offences against a further two women in 2015, following which he received an additional 10-year jail sentence. Evans was released after a total of 57 years in November 2018 before re-offending, and being returned to prison in 2023, where – now in his eighties – he remains to this day. Reflecting on her role in his conviction for the Bristol attacks, Ms Leonard added: 'I feel quite proud that I'd been involved in such a job, where somebody so evil was taken off the streets.' Ms Leonard was sharing her story as part of a series celebrating the 50th anniversary of Avon and Somerset Police.
BBC News
06-02-2025
- BBC News
Undercover officer remembers snaring Clifton Rapist Ronald Evans
In the late 1970s, women in Bristol were living in fear. A mystery attacker was prowling the streets of the Clifton, Redland and Westbury Park areas looking for victims. Over the course of 18 months he had attacked and sexually assaulted seven women as they walked home at the attacks became more serious, students were warned not to walk alone at pressure from the public, senior officers decided to deploy a honeytrap operation to snare the man who had been dubbed the 'Clifton Rapist'. One night it was the turn of then-rookie officer Michelle Leonard to walk the streets to try and lure him out of the shadows. "There was a lot of ill feeling at the time - and we [the police] looked like we weren't doing anything," Ms Leonard said."There were a lot of demonstrations, leaflets given to the university, to give out to women [telling them] not to walk around on their own."The bosses felt that something had to be done and then they did set up this operation - which was way ahead of its time really."Operation Argus, named after a many-eyed Greek god, began in January male officers dressed up in long blonde wigs, stockings, high heeled shoes and padded bras and walked the city Leonard signed up to work as a decoy during the operation. Her role was to walk a pre-planned route near to where previous attacks had taken 23 March Ms Leonard, then 24, stepped out into the dark. Other officers were spaced out along her route, hidden in gardens, keeping in touch with each other via their police radios."Any time you felt you were in danger, you could call it off," she she walked on to Whiteladies Road, one of the main avenues through the area, one sergeant who was part of the operation saw a yellow Capri driving past. The vehicle had been spotted near the scene of one of the rapes, and was in the police's records."He realised the driver was identical to the photofit," recalls Ms Leonard. "The photofit was him." The man in the car was Ronald Evans, a convicted killer who had moved to Bristol after being released from prison in had his attention on Ms she walked along Chantry Road, she heard on the radio the Capri had pulled up and the driver was watching her."I'd got into the dark part of Clifton and I'm just about to cross into Chertsey Road when I heard 'The driver's got out of the car. He's following Michelle on foot'," she said."There was a sort of delay and then it came back 'Attention everybody, this man is on life licence for murder and has previous convictions for rape'. 'Grabbed around the throat' "I had a moment where I thought, should I give up, or should I continue?"I thought 'no, I've got to get under a streetlight'."I could hear his footsteps - I was fine while I could hear his footsteps. As soon as I got to the streetlight, I couldn't hear him anymore."As I turned around, there he was on my shoulder. He grabbed me around the throat, around the arm and said 'Don't scream or I'll kill you' and began to drag me back into the garden."That was enough for everybody to come out of the bushes - people in the cars all turned up."He realised he had been caught, hit me, pushed me down to the ground and started running."Luckily at the end of the road there was another officer, and he was arrested." Evans, who was 38 at the time of his arrest, was already on life licence for the rape and murder of Nottinghamshire woman Kathleen Heathcote in his arrest during Operation Argus, he was sent back to prison for 39 years after confessing to sexual offences against five later, in 2015, he was found guilty of two more attacks in Clifton in the 1970s and was handed a further 10-year jail was released in 2018 but jailed again in 2023 for four years after sexually assaulting a woman in London in remains one of the UK's longest-serving prisoners, having spent more than five decades behind bars. Reflecting on her role in his conviction, Ms Leonard said: "I feel quite proud that I'd been involved in such a job, where somebody so evil was taken off the streets."She has shared her story as part of a series celebrating the 50th anniversary of Avon and Somerset Police.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Yahoo
Undercover officer recalls role in catching ‘Clifton Rapist'
An undercover police officer who helped snare a man dubbed the 'Clifton Rapist' has spoken about her role in bringing him to justice. In the late 1970s, women in the Clifton, Redland and Westbury Park areas of Bristol were living in fear as a man prowled the streets looking for victims. Ronald Evans, a convicted murderer and rapist, was the man behind the attacks who had moved to Bristol after being released from prison. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Avon and Somerset Police (@aspolice) Over an 18-month period, seven women were attacked and sexually assaulted, many as they walked home at night. As the attacks became more serious, students were warned not to walk alone at night. In a bid to catch the attacker, male police officers dressed up in long blonde wigs, stockings, high heeled shoes and padded bras and walked the city streets. Female police officers were also sent out in plain clothes as part of Operation Argus. Night after night the team of officers went out hoping to catch the attacker, who they believed drove a yellow Ford Capri, and in the early hours of March 23 1979 Evans fell into their honeytrap. Rookie Pc Michelle Leonard, then aged 24, was grabbed by an unsuspecting Evans and told 'don't scream or I'll kill you'. Recalling the climate of fear at the time, she said: 'There were a lot of demonstrations, leaflets given to the university, to give out to women, not to walk around on their own. 'I think some of them felt that they had to go around in twos all the time. 'They didn't want to do that, they wanted to have the freedom to go about what they were doing without fear of attack.' She said her role was to walk a pre-planned route near to where previous attacks had taken place. Officers were spaced out along the route, hidden in gardens and communication was maintained via radios. 'Any time you felt you were in danger, you could call it off,' she said. 'As I've walked into Whiteladies Road, the sergeant clocks this yellow Capri, which is in our system, having been around the scene of a rape. 'He realises the driver is identical to the photofit. That photofit was him. 'I just got up to Chantry Road when I heard on the radio that the Capri had pulled up to the Good Food, and the 'Driver was watching Michelle'. 'I'd got into the dark part of Clifton and I'm just about to cross into Chertsey Road when he said 'The driver's got out of the car. He's following Michelle on foot'. 'There was a sort of delay and then it came back 'Attention everybody, this man is on life licence for murder and has previous convictions for rape'. 'I had a moment where I thought, should I give up, or should I continue, and I thought no, I've got to get under a streetlight. 'I could hear his footsteps – I was fine while I could hear his footsteps. As soon as I got to the streetlight, I couldn't hear him anymore. 'As I turned around, there he was on my shoulder. He grabbed me around the throat, around the arm and said 'Don't scream or I'll kill you' and began to drag me back into the garden. 'That was enough for everybody to come out of the bushes, people in the cars all turned up, he realised he had been caught, hit me, pushed me down to the ground and started running. 'Luckily at the end of the road was another officer, and he was arrested.' Evans, who was 38 at the time of his arrest, was jailed for committing sexual offences against five women. He was also convicted of offences against a further two women in 2015, following which he received an additional 10-year jail sentence. Evans was released after a total of 57 years in November 2018 before re-offending, and being returned to prison in 2023, where – now in his eighties – he remains to this day. Reflecting on her role in his conviction for the Bristol attacks, Ms Leonard added: 'I feel quite proud that I'd been involved in such a job, where somebody so evil was taken off the streets.' Ms Leonard was sharing her story as part of a series celebrating the 50th anniversary of Avon and Somerset Police.
