A murderer who killed his teenage ex-girlfriend hasn’t undertaken domestic violence work in 14 years behind bars, shock minutes from his parole hearing reveal.
John Wilson is currently serving time for stabbing 17-year-old Michelle Stewart to death in Drongan in 2008.
He was denied parole on March 8 but can reapply in just eight months time.
Michelle’s loved ones say they have been left ‘speechless’ after reading over the requested minutes of the parole hearing, which has flagged a number of concerns.
Sister Lisa, who alongside her family have been campaigning tirelessly to ensure Wilson is kept behind bars and not rehoused in Ayrshire if released, fears “someone else could lose their life”, due to the lack of rehabilitation work undertaken.
Parole minutes state that Wilson “has undertaken a number of successful home leaves”, but “at present, the tribunal considered that there was insufficient evidence for it to be satisfied that the offender no longer poses a substantial risk of serious harm to the public.”
Lisa said: “To me that doesn’t make sense.
“If he is considered high level [risk], why is he then considered safe for home visits?
“People tell me ‘I’ve seen him here, I saw him at such-and-such’, and maybe folk are doing it with the best intentions but it doesn’t really help you because it makes you withdraw more. Your anxiety is through the roof thinking ‘I could have been there’.
“If he’s relocated to Ayr or Prestwick, is he going to socialise in Ayr or Prestwick, where we socialise?
“It’s really scary.”
Point seven of the parole minutes states that Wilson “has not yet had the opportunity to engage with offence-focused work in relation to intimate partner violence”, which they say “is only offered in the community.”
But the Stewart family have queried why Wilson’s domestic violence behaviour hasn’t been addressed in prison prior to being granted home visits and potentially entering a new relationship.
“Surely they need rehabilitation work before they’re even considered for release”, Lisa said.
“I don’t know what his conditions will be for getting out, but just say he goes out for a drink, tries it on with someone and they knock him back.
“They’re saying he’s had no rehabilitation work so he’s still in the mind frame that he was in when he did that to Michelle; when she dumped him three weeks prior, wouldn’t answer his calls, changed her number repeatedly and he wouldn’t let that go.
“He had at least an hour to calm down– from lifting that knife from his home in Prestwick, he then had to get a bus from Prestwick to Ayr and Ayr to Drongan, but he still sought her out.
“What if he starts a relationship? What if they have an argument, she rejects him or she does something he doesn’t like.
“Somebody else could lose their life.”
Point eight states: “The tribunal lacks information on the motivations and triggers for the index offence because the offender has not yet accessed appropriate work.”
Lisa said: “Point eight just leaves me speechless.
“Have they never sat down with him and asked: ‘what made you do that? Why did you do it? Did you consider that right or wrong?’
“That just astounds me. In the 14 years he’s been in jail, there’s been nothing done with that? That’s absolutely shocking.
“To me there needs to be accountability down the line.
“Does that lie with whoever is giving the approval for his home leave at the moment within the system? Are they going to take accountability for that, and what repercussions comes on that person if somebody else loses their life?”
The Parole Board for Scotland said they “do not comment on individual cases.”
A spokesperson added: “For life sentence prisoners, reviews must be held at least every two years after the expiry of the punishment part.
“For determinate sentence prisoners, a review must be held at least every 12 months. The board can set shorter review periods if they determine that is appropriate.
“The board has no remit in relation to home leaves or the completion of programme work. These are the responsibility of the Scottish Prison Service.”
A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said: “We do not comment on individuals. A broad range of offence-focused interventions are delivered by SPS across our establishments, designed to address individuals’ needs and risks.”
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