Child abuser must never be freed early, victim says

Steve Lewsey, pictured, says the prospect of Glenn Langrish's early release "utterly undermines all that I and his other victims have been through"

The victim of a prolific child sex offender says he will write to Prime Minister Andy Burnham urging him to amend the Sentencing Act to ensure anyone convicted of a serious offence is "never freed early".

Steve Lewsey has waived his right to anonymity to say an early release for Glenn Langrish would undermine what victims have been through after Langrish was jailed for 15 years in 2024 for multiple historic child sex offences .

Lewsey said while he welcomed Burnham's announcement of an "urgent review" into the early prisoner release scheme, he remained sceptical.

Justice Secretary Alex Norris said the scheme had been paused to make sure victim's views were "at the heart" of the decision.

Glenn Langrish was jailed for 15 years in 2024 for multiple historic child sex offences

Lewsey, 53, a bus driver from Burgess Hill, West Sussex, said: "I am serving a life sentence for what this vile man did to me.

"Whilst I understand that the prison system is struggling, how on earth can a predatory and serial child sexual offender be considered for early release?

"It utterly undermines all that I and his other victims have been through and are still living through today."

Lewsey said Langrish, who worked in Crawley during the 1980s, only ended his abuse in 1989 when he was jailed for unrelated child sex offences .

After he was released, Langrish moved to Sweden and changed his name to Glenn Stephens.

Lewsey reported the abuse he suffered in 2011, but Langrish - by then a Swedish citizen - was protected from extradition to the UK.

An international warrant was issued for his arrest should he leave Sweden. After he was located in Poland in May 2023, he was brought back to the UK and arrested at Heathrow Airport.

Last month, Lewsey received a letter from the Ministry for Justice warning him of changes to the Sentencing Act.

Under the early prisoner release scheme, offenders on fixed terms could have been released from prison after serving a third of their sentence, rather than a half, in a bid to free up space in prisons.

The scheme was originally announced by Sir Keir Starmer's government in July 2024 as part of plans to free up spaces in prisons to ease overcrowding.

Under Starmer, the Ministry of Justice previously said it had "inherited a prison system in crisis".

New Justice Minister Alex Norris said the public "don't want to see a situation where a person who needs a prison place can't get one".

However, Burnham has said the scheme will not begin as planned in September and has been paused pending a review.

Lewsey said he had been told Langrish would not be freed early, but voiced confusion at the situation.

Justice Secretary Alex Norris and Prime Minister Andy Burnham have early release plans for some prisoners

Lewsey also criticised a conversation between Defence Minister Wes Streeting, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, and Norris , in which Streeting joked that Norris "wants to let them all out".

Burnham said it was not appropriate for ministers to be joking about early release and "apologies have been made".

Streeting has since apologised for the comments, while Mahmood said she "does not want anyone to mistake this moment of levity for a lack of serious intent".

Speaking about the decision to pause the scheme, Norris said: "The Prime Minister and I have heard from victims and survivors, and from people across the country, about their concerns about the implementation of some very important elements of the Sentencing Act.

"The public doesn't want to see a situation, and we absolutely will not allow a situation, where a person who needs a prison place can't get one.

"It is right, though, that as with a new prime minister, a new ministerial team in cabinet, that we look at the implementation of that to get it right."

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