Baroness Newlove revealed today she felt ‘physically sick’ after finding out her husband’s killer has been allowed to walk around the streets of her hometown.
The former Victims’ Commissioner’s husband Garry Newlove was beaten to death aged 47 in 2007 by thugs outside his home in Warrington, Cheshire.
But Stephen Sorton, 29, who is believed to have delivered the killer blow to Mr Newlove who had rebuked them for vandalising cars, is now set to be freed from jail.
Baroness Newlove told the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme today she felt ‘physically sick’ after finding out her husband’s killer has been allowed to walk around her hometown
Baroness Newlove, 58, told the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme that she only found out about his killer being allowed to walk around Warrington the day before his parole hearing
Sorton and two other thugs repeatedly punched Mr Newlove and kicked his head ‘like a football’ while drunk and high on cannabis. All three were later jailed for life.
But the Parole Board has recommended that Sorton be released – and another of the killers, Jordan Cunliffe, could also be freed with his case set to be reviewed soon.
Baroness Newlove, 58, told the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme today: ‘Finding out that Jordan Cuncliffe was in open prison and Stephen Sorton, yes I knew that.
‘But as to where logistically they were placed, victims are not informed. I only found out when I was prepared to go to Jordan Cuncliffe’s parole hearing where you get told to meet, and it was in Warrington.
‘And I found out the day before when I was in Warrington to receive an award for all the work I’ve done from Warrington people and I just couldn’t believe that nobody had even thought of the area.
‘I felt physically sick, the fact that I work there, I live there, my family are there, and more importantly it was feeling that Garry’s life again was just part of an evidence trial. It was a disgrace to Garry.’
Cunliffe and Sorton were 16 and 17 when they attacked Mr Newlove in a shocking case that became symbolic of what became known as ‘Broken Britain’.
Baroness Newlove is pictured in London in 2010 with her daughters, Zoe, Danielle and Amy, who were aged 18, 15 and 12 when they witnessed their father’s murder
Despite the intervention of Mr Newlove’s daughters, the two yobs and a third assailant, Adam Swellings, just laughed and continued the assault.
Garry Newlove rushed out of his home to try to stop the youths vandalising his wife’s car
Baroness Newlove also told the programme: ‘When they go to open prison they have a three months ‘lie down’, they call it, where they are assessed, and then they start to go out escorted, then they go out unescorted.
‘Then they have what is known as ROTL, it’s Release On Temporary Licence, which means they do that for weekends. I know he’s got a job.
‘So for me, that could be locally where I’ve lived, where I’ve worked, where I shopped, and actually even on the event which was in Warrington that night, he could have been there.
‘And that made me physically sick because that was laughing again at Garry and that was almost as bad as going back to day one.’
Baroness Newlove’s grown three grown-up daughters, Zoe, Danielle and Amy were aged 18, 15 and 12 when they witnessed their father’s murder.
The Parole Board has recommended that Stephen Sorton (left) be released – and another of the killers, Jordan Cunliffe (right), could also be freed with his case set to be reviewed soon
The sales manager, who had survived stomach cancer when he was 32, had rushed out of the family home to try to stop the youths vandalising his wife’s car.
Adam Swellings is one of the three teenagers were convicted of the murder of Mr Newlove
The thugs left the bloody imprint of a trainer on his forehead. He died in his wife’s arms three days later, after his life-support machine was switched off.
Her daughters suffered, with Zoe dropping out of university unable to cope, Danielle failing to achieve her predicted GCSE grades, and Amy struggling to get out of bed each day to go to school.
Baroness Newlove added: ‘My daughters want no more to do with this because it takes them back and they’ve got their own lives to get on with, and I’m very proud of that.
‘But the fact is that you get courses, education, prisoners get everything, but children victims get nothing – it’s a case of the breadcrumbs. And I want a professional landscape of victims organisations.
‘I’ve worked in prisons, I’ve gone out and visited people, and exactly sums up that it is actually ‘calm down, dear’, it’s basically ‘we’re doing this’.
Mr Newlove’s daughters witnessed the attack and tried to help their father. The sales manager is pictured with his wife Helen and daughters (from left) Amy, Zoe, and Danielle
‘And I’m saying, no, no, I might not be the Victims’ Commissioner, but I am tired and tired of seeing victims broken and not understanding the impact that we have to rebuild our lives on charities, on people who volunteer, and yet nothing seems to seep into our legal system, and it’s a societal problem as well.
Sorton had been ordered to serve 15 years, but his sentence was reduced by two years after an appeal. Cunliffe was sentenced to life with a minimum of 12 years.
Sorton, who has been in an open prison since November 2017, had his case considered by the Parole Board for the second time at an oral hearing on February 7.
The panel heard he had already spent some time on temporary release. He is expected to face a curfew and will have to wear a tag once he is released.
Swellings received a 17-year sentence and is not yet eligible to be considered for release.
Baroness Newlove was made a peer in 2010 following her campaign work on youth crime and served as the Victim’s Commissioner from 2012 to 2019.