The release of a killer convicted of carrying out the Essex Boys gangland murders is being blocked by Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood.
Michael Steele, 82, was given a life sentence in 1998, following the deaths of drug dealers Craig Rolf, Tony Tucker and Pat Tate.
Three years earlier in 1995, the men were found shot dead in a Range Rover at Rettendon, near Chelmsford, but Steel, alongside co-defendant Jack Whomes, never admitted to killing the men.
In February the Parole Board announced Steele could be freed and decided his imprisonment was “no longer necessary for the protection of the public”.
The Parole Board said in its summary that Steele’s behaviour in prison had shown “marked improvement” and none of the witnesses considered risks would be imminent if he was released into the community.
He was set to be released under the conditions he would live at a designated address, be of good behaviour, provide financial and business details, give up his passport, be subject to electronic tagging and a specified curfew.
But Ms Mahmood has now made an application for them to reconsider on the grounds that the Parole Board’s decision was “legally irrational”.
The Ministry of Justice explained said that while decision is being made, Steele’s release will be blocked.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “Our thoughts remain with the families of Tony Tucker, Pat Tate and Craig Rolfe.
“Public protection is our first priority. After careful consideration, the Lord Chancellor has asked the Parole Board to reconsider its decision to release Michael Steele from prison.”
The case, which became known as the Essex Boys killings, took place after a row over a drug deal in December 1995, prosecutors said.
It has been the subject of TV dramas, documentaries, films and books, with many comparing the killings to other high-profile homicides in the 1990s rave scene. It also inspired the 2000 film Essex Boys starring Sean Bean.
Jack Whomes, who lived in Brockford, near Stowmarket, Suffolk, was also given a life sentence for the murders.
However, Whomes was released in 2021 after his prison term was reduced in 2018.
Steele, then aged 55, and from Great Bentley, near Colchester, was found guilty of murder as well as conspiring to import drugs into the UK.
His minimum prison term was set at 23 years. Although this expired in 2019, the Parole Board were worried about his risk of reoffending.
