Boris Johnson says London Bridge attacker's early release from prison shows system 'simply isn't working'

Tim Baker30 November 2019
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Boris Johnson has said the London Bridge attacker's early release from prison shows the system "simply isn't working".

Convicted terrorist Usman Khan, 28, was shot dead by police officers after going on a knife rampage on Friday, killing two people and injuring three more.

It has since emerged he was jailed in February 2012 for his role in a plot to bomb the London Stock Exchange.

Initially given an indeterminate sentence, Khan was given a 16-year determinate jail term in 2013 and released on licence in 2018.

London Bridge terror attack | 29 November 2019

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Mr Johnson visited the scene on Saturday where the terror attack took place and spoke about the need to review early releases.

The Prime Minister said: "​Obviously it’s early days and there’s a lot of investigations that need to be done. But it is clear to me that this guy was out, he’d served half of his sentence."

Boris Johnson spoke to the media this afternoon
POOL/AFP via Getty Images

The Prime Minster added: “He was out on automatic early release and I have long said that this system simply isn’t working.

“It does not make sense for us as a society to be putting people convicted of terrorist offences, of serious violent offences, out on early release.”

Mr Johnson said he was committed to increasing the sentences for serious and violent offenders, adding: “I’ve argued that when people are sentenced to a certain number of years in prison they should serve every year of that sentence.”

On Saturday, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said the attacker was thought to have acted alone.

She said: “At this stage that is our understanding. Of course, the investigation will continue following all the most pressing and obvious lines of inquiry and we must make 100 per cent of that of course.

“That will be done as quickly as possible, I’m not prepared to give you a moment-by-moment commentary on the investigation.”

The Conservative Party and the Labour Party have both suspended campaigning in London following the attack.

Mr Johnson added: "We say in the manifesto we want to toughen up sentences for serious and violent offences and I’ve said for a long time that I think that the practice of automatic early release – where you cut a sentence in half and let really serious violent offenders out early – simply isn’t working.

“And I think you have good evidence of how that isn’t working, I’m afraid, with this case.”

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