THE Justice Secretary has lost a fight to keep a triple baby killer behind bars.
Simon Smith murdered his three children in three separate incidents and was sentenced to three life sentences in 1996.
But less than 30 years later he will walk free from jail after the Parole Board ruled that he can be let out as it is “unlikely” he will kill again.
Smith suffocated three-month-old Lauren in 1994 and a police investigation led to the grim discovery that he had previously murdered his two other children.
Lauren was born in August and was killed by Smith in November while he was looking after her for the first time.
After her death the police were prompted to investigate the deaths of his other children, with a previous partner, which had been treated as cot deaths.
Justice Secretary Alex Chalk submitted an application for the Parole Board to reconsider their decision last year after it was announced that Smith would be released.
The Parole Board said in a statement at the time that “decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community”.
They added: “A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims.”
He will now serve the rest of his term on licence.
TOT KILLER
Lauren’s mum Rachel Playfair has said that she feels “let down” and scared at the prospect of his release, calling him “pure evil”.
She told the BBC: “He’s served less than 10 years for each life he took.
“The judge said at the time life should be life, but in the ’90s that wasn’t something the judges were able to give, but if he had done it now he would not be released.”
He was given three life sentences for the murders of Eleisha in 1989, Jamie in 1993 and Lauren the following year, with a minimum 24-year tariff.
Smith was moved to an open prison in 2019, paving the way for his release.
The Secretary of State for Justice had questioned “whether this prisoner is sufficiently honest with himself to be honest with his supervisors” given that he has still not accepted responsibility for two of the three murders.
The judge said at the time life should be life
Lauren’s mum Rachel Playfair
A judge at a hearing in December ruled that “the risk towards young children is very specific and it seems very unlikely that [the Respondent] could ever be in a similar situation as was faced at the time of the index offences.”
In the report’s conclusion, which was published yesterday, Judge His Honour Patrick Thomas KC said: “I do not consider that the decision was irrational or unlawful, and accordingly the application for reconsideration is refused.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “This will be an incredibly difficult time for the loved ones of the three babies murdered by Simon Smith, and our thoughts remain with them.
“He’ll now face some of the strictest licence conditions and can quickly be put back behind bars if he breaks the rules.
“This government has extended whole life orders to include child killers, so that in future the default for offenders like him will be to spend the rest of their lives in prison without parole.”
