Sophie Lancaster was murdered and her boyfriend badly beaten in what a judge described as a “savage” and “savage” attack by teenagers in Lancashire in August 2007. Her killer, Ryan Herbert, was 16 when she was sentenced to life in prison in 2008 and sentenced to at least 16 years in prison. His sentence was later reduced to 14 and a half years after the appeal. The parole board last week said Herbert, 30, could be released after making “significant changes in his life”. Sophie’s mother, Sylvia Lancaster, said she had not been given an explanation for the decision and felt that the views of bereaved families were often ignored. He said: “Fourteen years ago he was sentenced to 16 years in prison. What they say? They say crime is not as important as it was then? I think it’s a very difficult idea to deal with. “ Sophie Lancaster. Photo: Lancashire Police / PA Lancaster, who was awarded the OBE in 2014 for her hate crime campaign, worked with young offenders before her daughter was killed and strongly believes in people’s ability to change for the better. He is also an advocate for the rehabilitation of prisoners. However, she said she could not reconcile that belief with the level of violence her daughter suffered in 2007. Sophie’s injuries were so severe that rescuers could not tell if she was a man or a woman. The coach’s marks were visible on her face from where Herbert and others had hit her on the head until she fell into a coma. He died 13 days after the attack. Speaking from her home in Lancashire, where Sophie’s photos adorn the living room and hallway in a frame, Lancaster said she did not believe Herbert’s recovery “changed the facts” of her daughter’s murder. He said: “People will say that their time is up. It’s okay for him and his family. What about me and mine? When do we finish our time? Not only do they take your daughter’s life and her future, they actually take your future. “It does not matter how liberal and leftist[wing] are you. At the end of the day, they have taken a life. This is as important 16 years ago as it is now. It does not change the facts. “ A statement from the release committee said Herbert had made “remarkable progress in his recovery” and said he had made “significant changes in his life reflecting his remorse, his insight and his increased maturity”. He was transferred to an open prison in November 2020 where he “improved his education with a bachelor’s degree”, according to a summary of the commission’s decision. Ryan Herbert, 16, has pleaded guilty to killing Sophie Lancaster. Photo: Lancashire Police / PA Lancaster said it was given the opportunity to make a statement about the victim’s impact on the release of the release committee, but chose not to do so as it felt it would be rejected. The decisions of the release board are based solely on whether a detainee would pose a significant risk to the public after his release. Victims and their families are called upon to explain the impact of the crime. However, it has nothing to do with the council’s decision on whether a prisoner should be released. Lancaster said it felt “full” after the evidence was “ignored” at previous release hearings. “It simply came to our notice then. You get to the stage where you just think, it doesn’t really make sense. They are not going to receive any notification. “ The parole board said it was “very careful” about the victims’ views and that it was “aware of the life-changing impact of Mr Herbert’s insult on the victims and their families”. Lancaster said she was disappointed with the judiciary. “It’s as if your voice does not matter. “You were silent,” he said. “As a family, you have justice – or as much justice as you will ever have, and you know it. And once you start peeling it off it is really offensive. Once again it seems that everything is focused on the perpetrator. “Where is the victim’s voice in all this?” Lancaster, a member of the government’s Hate Crime Advisory Group, has successfully campaigned for police to record and monitor hate crimes against people from alternative subcultures. She is often asked if she forgives her daughter’s killer. It is a question that has been weighing for 15 years and the answer is no. “I sometimes wonder if forgiving him would make it easier? “Well, no, I’m not really doing that,” he said. “You have to be down and dirty to do what they did. I can not forgive. “
