David Lammy warned the Parole Board decision to direct the release of Reginald Wilson was “irrational” due to “insufficient testing in the community” and detailed previous crimes committed by Wilson from a young age.
A notorious hammer killer is ‘not ready for parole’ despite being granted release, according to the Justice Secretary.
David Lammy warned the Parole Board decision to grant Reginald Wilson freedom was “irrational” due to “insufficient testing in the community”.
He also lists previous crimes committed by Wilson, showing he was offending from a young age.
They included a conviction for arson in 1979 at the juvenile court for arson. Then in June 1985 he was sent to youth custody for four years for attempted burglary, wounding with intent, unlawful wounding and burglary.
That record should be taken into account in his latest Parole board 35 years after he was sentenced for murder in 1991, according to the Government.
Wilson was 26 when he was sentenced to life imprisonment for the chilling murder of respected consultant and father-of-three, David Birkett.
It was later changed to a minimum tariff of 30 years which expired in 2021. The killer was transferred to an open prison in November 2023 and last year the Parole Board deemed him fit for release on life licence.
Following a review hearing, the Parole Board said Wilson had made “good progress” in open conditions and “no significant concerns” had been raised.
But Mr Lammy had noted that Wilson spent much of his jail sentence in high security and segregation environments, “with insufficient testing in community-based settings” and had “limited exposure to stressors which may activate his identified areas of risk and problematic personality traits”.
Wilson’s brutal attack on Dr Birkett was described by top judges as “appalling”. At the time of his conviction, experts said he had an “untreatable psychopathic disorder”.
A police officer who worked on the case said he believed Wilson would kill again, if ever released. In 1996, Wilson made an escape attempt from Frankland Prison in Durham and then tried to stab a prison officer the following year.
He was transferred to an exceptional risk unit within the Prison Service’s Close Supervision Centre.
His fourth parole review was heard in October when the panel took evidence from Wilson’s probation officer, the official supervising his case and a prison service psychologist.
They all recommended to the panel that Wilson, who has changed his surname to Zenshen, should now be released on life licence.
The Parole Board panel noted there had been no evidence of violence against staff or prisoners since 1999 and Wilson had “described making a conscious decision to change during his time in prison.” But the MoJ said: “This was a heinous crime, and our thoughts are with the friends and family of David Birkett. We have asked the Parole Board to revisit its decision after new information came to light.” The board has the power to set aside a decision where there is a change in circumstances after the decision was made. A spokesperson for the Parole Board said: ”An application for the decision to be set aside has been received from the Secretary of State for Justice in the case of Reginald Wilson and will be considered as soon as possible. “A Parole Board member will review the decision and the details of the case, and will then decide whether the decision should be set aside. “If the application is granted, the case will be sent for another parole review, which will be arranged as a priority. If the application is refused the member will provide published written reasons for why the decision was not set aside.”
