Overview

• Bereaved families and victims’ rights groups have urged Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones to amend the Bill to include statutory rights to notification, consultation and appeal when offenders with mental disorders are granted leave or discharge.
• First introduced in May 2025, the Bill is now in report stage and has drawn scrutiny for offering only discretionary communication from hospital overseers and probation services.
• Emma Webber, mother of Nottingham victim Barnaby Webber, called the current provisions “utterly outrageous” and warned they would leave families shut out from key decisions.
• Julian Hendy of Hundred Families described the lack of consultation requirements as “not just a loophole, it’s a kick in the teeth” for those affected by violent crimes.
• A judge-led inquiry into pre-attack failures by multiple agencies ahead of the June 2023 Nottingham knife attacks is slated to commence later this year.