§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in view of the statement made by Mr. Justice Melford Stevenson at the Old Bailey trial of Terence Simpson and John McLonglin for rape, he will arrange for a public inquiry into all aspects of this case.
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§ Mr. Merlyn ReesNo. Neither of these men had been granted parole. Both were unlawfully at large when they committed the offence of rape in November 1978. McLoughlin had absconded in October whilst on a Pentonville prison pre-release employment scheme. Simpson was originally given an extended sentence and was released in the normal course, under section 60(3) of the Criminal Justice Act 1967 in March 1978, to serve the final one-third of his sentence on a licence expiring in January 1980 instead of being granted remission of that part of his sentence. He was taken into custody again in May 1978, pleaded guilty to burglary at the Inner London Crown Court in July, and was given a suspended sentence. On release from custody, Simpson failed to report to his supervising probation officer. His extended sentence licence was revoked on the recommendation of the Parole Board on 7 September 1978.