Ringleader of gang that killed father-of-three Garry Newlove released from prison
Adam Swellings, then 19, has been released on licence after a parole board said he had made "poor decisions" when he killed dad-of-three Garry Newlove back in 2007.
The ringleader of a gang of teenage thugs that kicked dad-of-three Garry Newlove to death in front of his daughter has reportedly been released from prison after serving 17 years behind bars.
Mr Newlove was killed outside his Warrington home in 2007 as his daughter, then 12, watched in horror. The gang brutally attacked him after he caught them vandalising his wife’s car while they were drunk and high after taking cannabis.
Ringleader Adam Swellings, then 19, Stephen Sorton, then 17, and Jordan Cunliffe, then 16, repeatedly kicked the 47-year-old until he died as a result of his injuries. The teens were given life sentences with Swellings, Sorton and Cunliffe receiving terms of 17, 15 and 12 years, respectively.
Swellings has been released from prison after being behind bars since 2007
Garry Newlove was killed outside of his home
Swellings, now 36, appeared before the parole board in November in the hope of being released on licence. He had previously been described at parole hearings as having been "a very aggressive and angry young man."
But in December, Swellings was told at the panel that he was recommended to be freed from jail. The Ministry of Justice said he had been released on licence.
A Ministry of Justice (MOJ) spokesperson told MailOnline: "This was a horrific crime and our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Garry Newlove. Adam Swellings will be on licence for the rest of his life, with strict conditions and intensive probation supervision after he is released, and he faces an immediate return to prison if he breaks the rules."
Garry’s wife Helen has campaigned for victims to be taken more seriously. She was elevated to Baroness in 2010 following her work in relation to youth crime and went on to serve as the Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales from 2012 to 2019.
Cunliffe has been released on parole
Sorton was one of the thugs who killed Garry Newlove
A summary of the panel that recommended Swellings release said he "had shown empathy towards the victims of his offending." The summary continued: "He told the panel that he had matured during his sentence and that he had been selfish at the time of the index offence."
The board said that at the time of the deadly attack Swellings "made poor decisions and had a perception that violence earned respect and acceptance." It admitted Swellings had previously been a "very aggressive and angry young man."
Swellings finished a minimum 17-year sentence in August last year with his parole hearing the following month being the first one he was eligible for. A strict number of conditions have been placed on Swellings including living in approved accommodation, regular drug testing, GPS tracking as well as abiding by an exclusion zone.
The younger teens who were sentenced have since been released on parole.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
