Absconder at large after CTR release highlights security failures; reports prompt external reviewer for system-wide reforms; IPP term deaths haunt families.
Gary Anderson, 29, one of two brothers jailed for life over Karol Kelly’s 2018 Londonderry murder, has absconded after being granted compassionate temporary release to attend his father’s funeral. He failed to return to a court-approved chaperone, and police are appealing for information as he remains at large. The court had overturned an initial CTR refusal, prompting renewed scrutiny of the scheme and its oversight.
The trials of the facts in Northern Ireland have triggered a government-ordered external review. Eleanor Donaldson’s case has seen a stay on judgment as the Department of Justice seeks an independent assessment, with a timetable targeting late February 2027. Her husband, Jeffrey Donaldson, has been convicted on 18 counts of sex abuse and awaits sentencing.
Two Independent articles outline the human impact of indefinite IPP detention, showing how uncertainty over sentences and repeated recalls drive despair, with fresh cases prompting calls for urgent reform.
Conservative MP Patrick Spencer has been found not guilty of two counts of sexual assault after a trial at Southwark Crown Court concerning incidents at the Groucho Club in August 2023. The jury has cleared him; he has maintained innocence and described the proceedings as a test of character.