Families of homicide victims, including BBC commentator John Hunt, have demanded that Justice Secretary Alex Norris bar all manslaughter offenders from early prison release.
The joint letter warns that victims are being forced to bear the consequences of Britain's prison overcrowding crisis as ministers prepare to free thousands of convicts ahead of schedule.
Prominent signatories to the letter include John and Amy Hunt, whose family members Carol Hunt and her daughters Hannah and Louise Hunt were killed in their home in 2024 by Louise's ex-boyfriend Kyle Clifford. Clifford was convicted of three counts of murder and sentenced to a whole-life order.
Murderers are already excluded from the government scheme, but relatives of victims killed in manslaughter cases fear violent offenders will walk free under current proposals.
Exclusion of PC Andrew Harper killers
The campaign follows indications from Prime Minister Andy Burnham that ministers plan to amend the early release scheme to keep the killers of PC Andrew Harper behind bars.
PC Andrew Harper was fatally injured in 2019 when he got caught in a strap attached to the back of a car and was dragged down a country road as thieves fled the scene of a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire.
His killers, Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, were found guilty of unlawful act manslaughter and remain eligible to be freed in January halfway through their 13-year sentences under current plans.
In their letter to Lord Chancellor Alex Norris, the bereaved families and victims' organisations welcomed reports that ministers are taking steps to prevent Cole, Bowers, and others convicted of unlawful act manslaughter from benefiting from accelerated release.
Demand for voluntary manslaughter exemptions
However, the campaigners argued that protecting one group of bereaved families must not leave others behind. They stated that if unlawful act manslaughter is excluded, all forms of manslaughter must be brought within the exemption.
The signatories wrote: "We welcome reports that the Government is considering steps to prevent those responsible for the killing of PC Andrew Harper, and others convicted of unlawful act manslaughter, from benefiting from the early release scheme."
They added: "The death of PC Harper was horrific and the strength of public feeling around this case is huge and shared by us all. We believe the Government is right to recognise that offences of this gravity should not benefit from accelerated release."
They continued: "As the Government considers excluding unlawful act manslaughter from the scheme, it must follow that all forms of manslaughter are also excluded, and notably voluntary manslaughter, which by law is a more serious crime."
The letter urged: "The protection now being considered for one group of bereaved families should not inadvertently exclude others whose loved ones were killed, including in circumstances that resulted in a conviction for voluntary manslaughter."
Victims of Nottingham attacks and domestic violence
Among the signatories is Emma Webber, whose son Barnaby Webber was stabbed to death alongside Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates in Nottingham in 2023.
Barnaby's killer, Valdo Calocane, was convicted of manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility.
Another signatory, Diana Parkes, lost her daughter Joanna Simpson in 2010 when she was killed by her estranged husband Robert Brown. Brown was also convicted of manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility.
The letter was also signed by John and Penny Clough, the parents of Jane Clough, a nurse who was murdered in 2010.
The signatories highlighted that many of the most serious domestic homicides result in convictions for voluntary manslaughter. They warned that releasing such offenders early would be "difficult to reconcile with the Government's commitment to halve violence against women and girls."
Legal distinctions between manslaughter offences
Under English criminal law, voluntary manslaughter occurs when a person kills with the intent to kill or cause serious harm, but a partial defence applies, namely loss of control, diminished responsibility, or a suicide pact.
In contrast, involuntary manslaughter involves conduct that was grossly negligent given the risk of death and did kill, or conduct taking the form of an unlawful act involving a danger of some harm that resulted in death.
The families noted that after speaking with numerous bereaved relatives affected by homicide in recent days, a consistent theme of anger and betrayal had emerged.
They wrote: "In recent days, we have spoken with numerous bereaved families affected by homicide. A consistent theme has emerged: many feel that victims are being asked to bear the consequences of the prison capacity crisis through the earlier release of those convicted of the most serious offences."
They added: "Whether intended or not, this is creating a growing sense that justice for victims and public protection are being compromised in order to address pressures elsewhere in the system."
The letter concluded: "We therefore urge the Government, as it seeks to prevent those responsible for the killing of PC Harper from benefiting from the early release scheme, to ensure that voluntary manslaughter is also brought within the proposed exemption."
Government response and prison overcrowding crisis
Without further policy changes designed to tackle emergency prison overcrowding, approximately 5,000 prisoners are currently set to be released early. This figure was reduced from 6,000 following initial exemptions announced as part of an urgent review.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said the government is "fast-tracking a plan to keep more of the most dangerous offenders behind bars."
The spokesman stated: "We have always stated we wanted to go further, and we are fast-tracking a plan to keep more of the most dangerous offenders behind bars. That's on top of murderers and those serving sentences for rape, serious child sexual abuse and grooming offences who are already blocked from any changes."
The spokesman added: "We share the public's anger that these options are even being considered, after we inherited a prison system on the brink of collapse."
The Ministry of Justice stated that ministers are addressing the capacity crisis by building 14,000 new prison places, expanding electronic tagging on an unprecedented scale, and investing record levels into probation services.
Official steps are also being explored to accelerate the deportation of foreign criminals, make better use of the women's prison estate, and review Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences.
