A driver described by police as the "drunkest ever seen behind the wheel" is slated for early release from prison under a new Labour government scheme aimed at easing prison overcrowding. Malcolm Waite, 72, who killed 20-year-old Fenella Hawes in July 2022, is expected to be freed after serving half of his eight-year sentence, a reduction from the previously required two-thirds.
Waite was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving after he mounted a pavement in an SUV, striking two pedestrians. Ms. Hawes, a former Lancaster University student, died at the scene while carrying sunflowers home for her mother. Waite continued driving for a mile before crashing into a road sign and trees. Upon his arrest, officers found him smelling of alcohol with a half-drunk bottle of vodka beside him, and he refused to provide a breath test. He was four times over the legal alcohol limit at the time of the incident.
PC Callum Walchester, who arrested Waite, stated that in his ten years as an officer, Waite was the most intoxicated individual he had ever encountered behind the wheel. Waite's early release is part of a Labour government initiative set to take effect on September 2, which could see over 5,000 offenders, including those convicted of violent crimes, freed. The scheme is intended to alleviate pressure on the prison system.
However, the family of Fenella Hawes has voiced strong opposition, calling for an exemption for individuals who have caused a death from the early release policy. They argue that reducing Waite's sentence offers no deterrent and raises fears he could reoffend. Rosemary Shepherd, Ms. Hawes's sister, expressed her distress, stating, "It's scary to think that we might see him in the street, and that is petrifying to me. He might get back in the car. He might do the same thing again." She added that the reduced sentence does not equate to the loss of her sister's life and suggested it does not deter others from drink-driving.
The controversy surrounding early releases has been amplified by the case of PC Andrew Harper, an officer who died in 2019. His widow, Lissie Harper, has described plans to release two of his killers early as "deplorable." Following her public comments, Prime Minister Andy Burnham reaffirmed a commitment to review the early release scheme. Reports indicate that officials from the Prison and Probation Service were summoned to a meeting on the matter.
