'I'm sickened my son's killers could be out early'

A mother whose son was murdered in a hit-and-run crash says she is sickened two of his killers may be released early under government reforms.

Janice Lees, from Blackpool, spoke out after Andrew Flamson died after being hit by a car in Coventry in July 2022 in revenge for a £400 drugs debt.

Driver Ashley Donald was jailed for life in 2023 for murder. Three passengers, including Carl Tomlinson and Callum Ayre, were also jailed, but could now be considered for release halfway through their sentences.

The Ministry of Justice did not provide updates on individuals, but said the most dangerous offenders were blocked from early release and anyone who was released faced tough restrictions.

However, Lees said a notification Tomlinson and Ayre could be released early was "a bloody insult to me and all the other mothers whose children have been murdered".

Flamson, who used and dealt drugs, was fatally injured in an act of retaliation following a row over money he owed for cannabis.

Tomlinson and Ayre, from Coventry, were jailed for 13 years and 12 years respectively, while Donald was told he would serve a minimum term of 23 years.

A fourth passenger, Samuel Henneberry, died in prison in 2025. All three were convicted of Flamson's manslaughter.

Lees said she was stunned to receive an email two weeks ago from her Probation Service victim liaison officer to say Tomlinson and Ayre were eligible to have their terms reduced.

She believes this means they would only have to serve "50% instead of two thirds of the sentence", under the terms of the Sentencing Act, which was passed in January.

"She said, that the two men who was still serving sentences for the manslaughter of my boy, would be released early, possibly within the next two years."

The act includes a wide-ranging package of measures and, as a result, thousands of offenders are to be released early from September, in an effort to relieve overcrowding.

Reports suggest killers, rapists and sex offenders could be among those let out, but the move has led to widespread criticism of the government.

Under The Progression Model, a new measure introduced in the act, those serving standard determinate sentences with an automatic release point of two thirds will now have an earliest possible release date of one half.

These are the most common type of sentence, denoting the maximum time the offender could spend in custody, although the whole time might not necessarily be spent in prison.

Labour MP for Blackpool North and Fleetwood Lorraine Beavers said her thoughts were "with all victims of crime and their families, but with Janice especially given the information she has received".

The MP added: "She is right to be angry. Any prospect of early release is worrying for those still living with the consequences of these offences.

"All victims should be kept fully informed and treated with compassion and respect, and dangerous criminals such as those responsible for Andrew's death should not be released."

In the email to Lees, seen by the BBC, the officer writes the two prisoners can have their custodial terms reduced as they are serving a standard determinate sentence.

"The changes are being applied to all offenders already sentenced and those who are being sentenced from now onwards," it read, adding the officer would let her know when the prison had confirmed their release dates.

Lees said she disagreed with the government's reforms being applied retrospectively.

"It's an injustice for all victims... and it has sickened me that the government passed this law," she said.

In court, she had sat through the CCTV footage of her son's killing.

"They had a fair trial. They dragged me through a trial and showed me what they'd done to my child. I sat and I saw that," she said.

"Judge Lockhart was firm and fair. He gave them what they deserved, and they should sit there and come out when the sentence is served.

"I do get emotional. I try and be rational, but it's not a rational thing to have your child murdered."

Lees said she had contacted Beavers to try to take the matter further.

"I'm going to push this as far as I'm able to push it," she added.

On the fourth anniversary of her son's death, on Wednesday, she plans to place an new ornament in his memorial garden at her home, where she likes to sit and chat with him.

"You know, I talk to him a lot," she said.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said the government was "fixing the prison crisis it inherited" and that public safety and victim safety was its "top priority".

"Without this decisive action, prisons will run out of space entirely as early as November and we will be unable to lock up serious offenders at all," they said.

"Offenders who a judge has deemed the most dangerous are automatically blocked from early release, and prisoners who behave badly while behind bars face being locked up for longer.

"Anyone who is released faces tough rules such as restrictions on their movements, tagging, being banned from attending public events, pubs and clubs, backed by our record £700m investment into probation and 1,300 extra probation officers."

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