A Devon couple have said they are angry that the men who killed their son could be freed from prison early. Their son bled to death after being stabbed in the street.
Brothers Jack and Ben Milton were jailed in May 2024 for manslaughter. Their sentences could now be halved.
Ray Parrington, whose son Aaron died on the pavement outside his home in Torquay ’s Ellacombe Church Road in September 2023, said: “They’re sitting in jail now looking forward to getting out early. All we’ve got to look forward to is putting flowers on our son’s grave.”
Jack Milton received a 15-year sentence and Ben Milton 14 years. Under the new proposals, their prison time could be cut by half, followed by a third of the sentence on probation, with the final 17 per cent unsupervised.
That could see Ben Milton released in May 2031 and his brother in November of the same year.
Now Torbay ’s Liberal Democrat MP Steve Darling is hoping to pressure Prime Minister Andy Burnham to reconsider his controversial early release policy.
The government says it must respond to nationwide prison overcrowding by releasing certain prisoners early. Justice Secretary Alex Norris told the BBC that there could be a ‘prison capacity crisis’ if fewer prisoners were allowed early release.
People convicted of murder will not be released early, nor will prisoners convicted of rape, grooming and serious child sex offences. However, many prisoners convicted of manslaughter will be eligible for early release.
The policy has come under scrutiny because of the case of PC Andrew Harper, who was killed in 2019 when he was dragged down a road by a car as three teenagers fled the scene of a quad bike theft in Berkshire.
It is understood that while the driver of the car is not eligible, the other two teenagers received manslaughter sentences and could be released early.
Aaron Parrington was 34 when he was attacked and stabbed multiple times with a large kitchen knife during a street altercation. Passers-by tried in vain to stop the bleeding and said they were also threatened as they tried to save him.
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Devon Couple Angry at Early Release for Son’s Killers