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The government has initiated a review into the early release of a prisoner who committed a fatal attack shortly after being released from prison, according to reports. Liam Matthews, aged 26, was armed with a chisel when he participated in an effort to track down and kill Lewis Bell, aged 26, over a feud involving a drug den in Stockton on 19 September. Matthews had been set free from prison the day before as part of an endeavor to alleviate pressure on overcrowded prisons, following his incarceration three and a half months earlier for his involvement in a group assault on another individual. The Ministry of Justice expressed that their sympathies were with Mr. Bell’s family, who will be briefed on the outcomes of the review.
During the sentencing proceedings of Mr. Bell’s killers, it was revealed that Matthews, who had 25 previous convictions for 128 offenses between 2015 and 2024, had been of no fixed address. The majority of his offenses were characterized as “relatively minor dishonesty offenses”, typically shoplifting, and he had a criminal record aligned with a “life of acquisitive crime to fund drug use,” as described by prosecutor Peter Makepeace KC at Teesside Crown Court. Matthews had been sentenced to 22 months in jail for violent disorder in June 2024, related to an attack on a man in Stockton six months prior.
Following Matthew’s release on 18 September, eight days subsequent to the commencement of the government’s early release prison program, Mr. Bell was killed just hours later. A Ministry of Justice representative conveyed that an investigation into the incident is ongoing and will be communicated to the victim’s family. The spokesperson noted that the previous Labour government, which assumed office in July 2024, introduced an emergency early release plan to prevent a crisis that could have resulted in the inability of law enforcement to apprehend individuals nationwide. They emphasized that instances of serious offenses by those released were exceptionally rare, with less than 0.5% of offenders under statutory supervision being convicted of such crimes, alluding to the profound impact on victims and their families
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