Overview
- Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said he has asked officials to report back quickly on changes to end benefit entitlement for offenders detained under the Mental Health Act.
- Kennedi Westcarr‑Sabaroche’s mother, Linda, and uncle, Leon, met McFadden as well as safeguarding minister Jess Phillips and victims minister Alex Davies‑Jones to press for reforms.
- Gogoa Lois Tape, 28, strangled Westcarr‑Sabaroche in April 2024, admitted manslaughter by diminished responsibility, and was given an indefinite hospital order under sections 37 and 41.
- Because hospital‑order detainees are treated as patients rather than prisoners, Tape remains eligible for about £400 a month, a rule that government data says also covers 2,745 offenders.
- The family urged wider changes including implementing Jade’s Law to suspend parental responsibility in qualifying cases.