The upcoming parole hearing for Jeffrey Gafoor, who was sentenced to life in 2003 for the murder of sex worker Lynette White in Cardiff in 1988, will not be public, despite calls for transparency. This is Gafoor’s sixth parole hearing, with advocates for making it public including John Actie, one of five men who were wrongfully imprisoned for the murder. However, three requests for Gafoor’s hearing to be public have been turned down by the parole board, which claims that assessing “current risk” requires a closed hearing. Gafoor’s lawyers had also argued that the hearing should not be public.
Previously, the hunt for White’s killer sought a white suspect, but five black and mixed-race men were arrested and charged with the murder. Tony Paris, Yusef Abdullahi and Stephen Miller were wrongfully convicted in 1990 and later released after their convictions were reversed by the Court of Appeal. Gafoor was ultimately convicted after advances in DNA technology.
Victims of crimes, prisoners, and the public may now request public parole hearings after a change in law in 2022. The board that assesses such requests takes into account victims’ wishes, any risk to their well-being, any safety risks to the prisoner, and whether witness testimony would be affected. Journalist and author Satish Sekar, who was one of the people who requested that Gafoor’s hearing be public, sees the board’s refusal as “a disgrace”.
Parole Board of England and Wales judicial vice-chairman Peter Rook KC is aware that public hearings can provide insight into the case and parole process. However, he emphasized that the focus of Gafoor’s upcoming hearing will be on his current risk and whether it can be managed safely were he to be released. The Parole Board claims public safety is its priority
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