A survivor of sexual abuse has accused ministers Shabana Mahmood and Wes Streeting of making "disgusting" jokes about a controversial early prisoner release scheme, which she believes amounts to "laughing at victims." Jade Belgrove, 30, a mother of five, spoke out after audio emerged of Streeting and Mahmood jesting about the scheme on Tuesday.
Under the now-paused Sentencing Act 2026, serious offenders, including killers, rapists, and paedophiles, could have been released after serving half of their sentence, with less serious offenders eligible after a third. The scheme was introduced to address prison overcrowding but faced significant backlash.
Belgrove, who was groomed, drugged, and raped twice as a 14-year-old by a family friend, Simon Tyler, said she felt "physically sick" upon hearing the ministers' comments. Tyler, who was jailed for nine years in 2024, could have been eligible for early release after serving just four and a half years. Belgrove's petition campaign against the scheme garnered over 88,000 signatures, contributing to Prime Minister Andy Burnham's decision to pause it.
"I'm waking up every night at the moment, having panic attacks throughout the night," Belgrove stated. "I am reliving the trauma that I've been through. I've dealt with this pain and trauma for so long now, and they are literally just laughing in our face when we are literally devoting all day, every day, at the moment to try and stop this, and they think it's a cheap laugh. It's disgusting."
Mahmood and Streeting were heard joking that the new Justice Secretary, Alex Norris, was "the enemy now" and "wants to let them all out." Both ministers have since issued apologies, with Streeting stating he was "sorry for any offence inadvertently caused" and Mahmood asserting there was "no ill intent" in the "ribbing" of the Justice Secretary, which she described as a "hot mic" moment.
However, Belgrove dismissed these apologies as insincere. "Their apologies weren't apologies. There was no conviction or anything in those statements," she said. "They were both written the exact same, just signed off slightly different at the bottom. I know they didn't even come from them. They're not sincerely apologetic; they've just been caught out laughing at us."
The controversy surrounding the early release scheme intensified this week with the case of PC Andrew Harper, a police officer killed in 2019. His family, like Belgrove, received notification that individuals involved in his murder could be eligible for early release. This high-profile case, coupled with Belgrove's persistent campaigning, led Prime Minister Burnham to launch a review and subsequently pause the scheme.
Belgrove expressed frustration that it took a high-profile case to prompt government action. "As a victim of rape and child sexual abuse, it is insulting, because we haven't mattered until this high-profile case has come in," she said. "But why didn't he before, when we were all campaigning? That is frustrating."
Belgrove recounted the trauma of her own abuse, which occurred in 2010 when Tyler, then 24, drugged and raped her on two separate occasions when she was 14. She expressed fear for her safety, noting that her abuser lives only 10 minutes away. "There is nothing in place to stop him," she said, adding that she fears he might seek revenge for her reporting him.
The Ministry of Justice confirmed that some individuals convicted of serious crimes, including those involved in PC Harper's death, might have been eligible for release under the scheme. Belgrove fears that the scheme sends the wrong message, suggesting it implies that such crimes are acceptable.