'Such a relief we've been heard' - abuse survivor

A survivor of sexual assault and campaigner against the early release of prisoners has said it is "such a relief that we've been heard" after a pause in the policy was announced.

Jade Belgrove said she had received what she described as a "horrific" letter advising her that the man convicted of her rape could be released years early under government plans to ease prison overcrowding.

The prime minister has now said that no prisoners would be freed under the policy until the government had "conducted an urgent review".

"I'm very relieved right now, and I will continue to fight and I will continue to be heard for all of us survivors," Belgrove said.

Under the Sentencing Act, due to come into effect in September, some offenders would have been let out after serving a third of their sentence, rather than half.

The pause came after criticism from survivors and victims' families, including Belgrove.

The 30-year-old from Coventry said she believed she was groomed from the age of 12 by her father's friend Simon Tyler, a man whom she thought she could trust.

Two years later, he raped her in her family home while everyone else was asleep, before attacking her again during a family holiday.

Tyler, from Kenilworth, was convicted of three counts of rape and one sexual assault offence before being sentenced to nine years in prison in November 2024, when he was 38.

After waiting a decade to report the abuse she believed justice had finally been served when he was jailed, but the introduction of the early release scheme had led her to question whether reporting the assault in the first place was worth it.

"I've had to find everything within myself to stand up and get my justice," she said.

"Then to feel like it was being completely taken away from me, I felt lost and silenced all over again."

While Belgrove said she understood overcrowding was an issue in prisons, she stressed "victims should never come second to that" and advised the prime minister to "put survivors at the front" of the upcoming review of the early release scheme.

In a statement, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: "Keeping the public safe will always be my top priority.

"I am working closely with the new justice secretary and have instructed my team to put a pause on the changes that were due to start in September.

"Where changes are needed, we will not hesitate to make them."

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