Brendan Harris, aged 34, who was convicted of the murder of 20-year-old Sophie Lancaster in a notorious hate attack targeting alternative subcultures, has been cleared for release from prison after a formal challenge against the Parole Board’s decision was dismissed.
The murder occurred in August 2007 at Stubbylee Park in Bacup, Lancashire. Sophie Lancaster and her boyfriend, Robert Maltby, were targeted and set upon by a group of youths purely because of their goth appearance and clothing. When Maltby was knocked unconscious, Sophie cradled his head in her arms and pleaded with the gang to cease their assault. The group turned on her, kicking and stamping on her head. Both victims were left in comas; Maltby survived with permanent, life-changing injuries, while Sophie died in hospital from severe head trauma thirteen days later.
In 2008, following a trial at Preston Crown Court, Harris was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum tariff of 18 years. Sentencing judge Anthony Russell QC described the killing as “feral thuggery” and formally recognised it as a hate crime driven by hostility towards the victims’ appearance. Co-defendant Ryan Herbert, who admitted murder, was previously granted release on parole.
Parole documents disclose that Harris continues to dispute his direct physical role in Sophie’s death, asserting that while he participated in the assault against Robert Maltby, he did not strike Sophie when she intervened. However, Harris acknowledged his presence and participation as part of the group responsible for her killing.
A bid to overturn the Parole Board’s initial release direction was rejected. Stephen Dawson, assessing the challenge on behalf of the Parole Board, concluded that Harris’s representations concerned his specific physical actions rather than a refusal to accept the seriousness of the index offence. The panel took into account his acceptance of responsibility for behaviour that resulted in death and catastrophic harm, ruling that the original decision directing his release was rational and lawful.
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