A heartbroken father has told of his "total disgust" after a parole board decided one of his son's killers could be freed from prison. Ben Bellamy, 17, was murdered on Swansea seafront in 2005 as he walked home alone from a disco.
Joshua Declan Thomas, then aged 15, was among the youths who viciously punched, kicked, and stamped on Ben after luring him to the beach. Thomas was jailed in 2006 for a minimum of 18 years after he was convicted of murder and robbery. But in 2017 the Court of Appeal cut Thomas' term to 17 years – and the Parole Board has now directed he can be released.
Ben's father John, 53, said: "The Parole Board decided to release the animal. My reaction is of total disgust. I can't understand how you can take another life in the manner Ben's was taken and be given a chance to live your life. Ben was just starting his life and he brutally took it away. I'm sure everyone in the country feels that if you kill another human the way Ben was killed you should be locked up until you die. I wish that animal nothing but pain for the rest of his life. He's played the system and fooled the Parole Board. Let's hope that another family doesn't suffer what we have because he's a killer who has been freed."
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Thomas' accomplices in the attack were Joel Taylor and Andrew Rafferty who were both aged 18 when sentenced in 2006. Taylor was jailed for a minimum of 22 years for murder while Rafferty served seven years in prison for robbery after his manslaughter conviction was quashed.
The Parole Board said Thomas gave evidence to the panel at his parole hearing. The panel also gave "very careful consideration" to a statement from Ben's family which "clearly conveyed the impact of Mr Thomas’ crimes".
In its report the Parole Board said Thomas had "mixed with antisocial people and had demonstrated misplaced loyalty" at the time of his crimes. The report found that "consequently he had been easily led due to a sense of not fitting in well enough", adding: "He could act in an impulsive and reckless manner without regard for the consequences of his actions. Mr Thomas had misused both alcohol and drugs and he had experienced difficulties in managing extremes of emotion."
The report pointed to Thomas' "progress" in taking programmes to address "decision-making, better ways of thinking, drugs and alcohol misuse, and a tendency to use violence". While in an open prison for four years he had gained vocational qualifications, worked in the community, and been on temporary release from prison.
"Mr Thomas was reported to have increased in maturity whilst in open conditions and had engaged positively with employment," said the Parole Board. "His probation officer advised that Mr Thomas had been sufficiently tested and both witnesses supported his release on parole licence at this point."
The Parole Board said the release plan included a requirement for Thomas to live in designated accommodation as well as "strict limitations" on his "contacts, movements, and activities". Its report continued: "The panel concluded this plan was robust enough to manage Mr Thomas in the community at this stage."
In conclusion the panel found imprisonment was "no longer necessary for the protection of the public". Thomas must stick to licence conditions including disclosing "developing relationships", reporting for supervision, taking drug tests, and adhering to a curfew. He will be restricted from interacting with "named contacts" and there will be a "wide exclusion zone to avoid contact with victims".
Ben, from Sketty Park, was walking home from Cinderella's nightclub when his killers savagely attacked him, stripped him naked, and left him to drown in about a metre of water. In 2017 a High Court judge said Ben was "a slight young man who put up little resistance" but was beaten until "he was unable to walk or stand", adding: "The personal statements from members of his family describe the loss of a kind, thoughtful, young man with a bright future."
A spokesman for the Parole Board said: “We can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board has directed the release of Joshua Thomas following an oral hearing. Parole Board 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. 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.
"Members read and digest hundreds of pages of evidence and reports in the lead up to an oral hearing. Evidence from witnesses such as probation officers, psychiatrists and psychologists, officials supervising the offender in prison as well as victim personal statements may be given at the hearing. It is standard for the prisoner and witnesses to be questioned at length during the hearing which often lasts a full day or more. Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority."
The Parole Board said it will be a matter for the Probation Service to facilitate Thomas' release. You can read more of the latest news from Swansea here.
