
I quote from the blog of solicitor advocate Mark Newby: “In January 1997 Victor Nealon began a discretionary life sentence which would see him serve 17 years in custody. Last Friday he started his new life, on the streets of Birmingham and with nowhere to stay after the State had washed its hands of him. What does it say about our society that we simply turn out men like Victor Nealon onto the street after 17 years…..he will now face the prospect of mounting a claim for compensation in an atmosphere in which the Secretary of State for Justice is seeking to narrow the test for compensation. We should have a system in place for cases like this where those released are fully supported and receive urgent interim financial support.