Former prisons inspector calls for release of murderer

Former prisons inspector calls for release of murderer

Lord Ramsbotham says keeping Ben Gunn locked up 30 years after he was convicted, aged 14, is unnecessary and expensive

By Eric Allison



"The former chief inspector of prisons has joined a growing campaign to secure the release of a man who has been locked up for 30 years for a murder he committed when he was 14.

Lord Ramsbotham said keeping Ben Gunn - who was originally recommended to serve 10 years - behind bars served no purpose and warned the justice secretary, Jack Straw, that the increasing number of prisoners kept in jail past their tariff date was contributing to the prisons overcrowding crisis.

Ramsbotham called on the minister to release the figures on prisoners "serving many years over their tariff, despite no longer being a danger to the public"".