Rapist-lifer will get chance of earlier release

| 21/12/2017 | 39 Comments

(CNS): Serial rapist and habitual offender Jeffrey Barnes (38), who received a life sentence for his third conviction for rape, is the only ‘lifer’ in HMP Northward not facing a mandatory minimum life term of 30 years and could be released before his full term is served. When he appeared, Thursday, for a conditional release hearing to determine the tariff for his sentence, lawyers pointed to the discretionary nature of Barnes’ life sentence compared to the mandatory requirement in cases of murder. Under the new law he has the right to be considered for release after serving 60% of whatever term is imposed.

Barnes is the only person serving life for a crime other than murder.

At the time of his third rape conviction and sentencing in 2013 the Conditional Release Law, which calls for a tariff for life sentences to comply with the Bill of Rights, was not in force as it only came into effect this year. So when Barnes was sentenced he was facing the prospect of being behind bars until he died, but changes to the legislation mean that he is likely to be given a term of somewhere between 20-25 years.

But unlike other lifers who are given a specific term and must serve every year before they can appear before the Conditional Release Board, Barnes will be treated like other inmates not convicted of murder and will be able to appear before that board after he has served 60% of the sentence. It will then be up to the Conditional Release Board members to decide whether Barnes is safe to be released or not.

Unlike other offenders with long but determined sentences who will be released after serving their full term, Barnes could still stay in jail for a long time, even after he serves whatever term the judge imposes. The board will continue to have discretion over releasing Barnes because he is serving a life term.

The judge cannot, however, consider the danger that Barnes may still pose to the community, as that remains at the discretion of the board, and whatever tariff is eventually set by the court is merely a guide for the board. Barnes will be allowed to make his first board appearance pitching for release after 60% of the time given. But if the board is not satisfied that Barnes is sufficiently rehabilitated, they can refuse his release and can continue to refuse any request for release every year beyond even the limit of his tariff.

Barnes’ third crime of rape took place in October 2011, when he broke into a woman’s home in the middle of the night, awoke her from her sleep and subjected her to a terrifying sexual attack, in which he placed a knife to her genitals and threatening to cut her if she did not comply before raping her repeatedly, both vaginally and anally.

That same month he had also abducted and raped a woman after he had offered to give her a lift when he picked her up from a bus stop. He had pleaded guilty to that crime before he was tried for the case in which he received the life term. Barnes’ first conviction for rape was in 2001 for which he was given a ten-year jail term.

The judge is expected to deliver his decision on Barnes’ final sentence next month.

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Category: Courts, Crime

Comments (39)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Castration, followed by lifetime GPS tracking, IF (God forbid) he is ever released! This type of habitual offender is never going to change, regardless of any intervention attempts. He is a sociopath who pays no heed to societal norms and decent behaviour. There are some deviants who are not recoverable by any known means.

  2. Anonymous says:

    Testosterone depletion is a strong factor in reduced recidivism in men over 35. It is also a reason why younger male criminals need much longer sentencing rather than being treated with a soft touch in a naive hope they will reform their ways.

  3. Anon says:

    Sadly the liberal left ( where we all seem to be heading) will let him out ‘only for him to reoffend in 6 months . And there to be one more poor innocent soul having to live with the fact they’ve been raped.

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  4. Paitently waiting. Always watching. The Equalizer. says:

    I knew one of the victims.
    So yes, let him out, I dare you. I got something special for him for when he gets out.
    He won’t be safe outside Northward.
    So please let him out.
    Actions will do what no amount of words will ever do.

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  5. Anonymous says:

    This would be a big mistake to release this person, hearing his past criminal history and that he has not changed. Until he rapes again and it affects someone high up in position of power within the Country will things change.

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  6. Anonymous says:

    If any of the”board members” make a decision to let him step foot out of Northward it should be conditional that he live in one of thier homes! Let them be responsible to find out if he’s really rehabilitated or not but please don’t let him loose on the streets again to rape another woman! Keep this low life locked up for good!

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  7. Anonymous says:

    I bet you all this guy knew when he was a kid were brutal beatings, still a common event here. But I am no way condoning his actions.

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  8. bob says:

    sign him up for a one way trip to some sub planet out in space!

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  9. Anonymous says:

    I am not encouraging wrong, but I don’t think that poor Jeffry had the help needed as a child. I have a photo of Jeffry as alittle boy sitting in the audience of some Seventh Day Adventist Crusade. He was such an innocent little boy back then. Some of us expect that kids can raise themselves, but it dosent work this way.

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    • Anonymous says:

      So that gives him the right to take the innocences from others?!! Seriously sick of others using ‘poor me, I’m only like this because of my childhood’. People need to stop feeding into that bull. There are many, MANY people that have been through horrible unspeakable childhoods and yet do not resort to inflicting suffering on others. What if he hurt you or someone you love, will you be saying the same thing…..

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  10. Anonymous says:

    So sick. Every time he has been out he has committed a rape. Even back in school days he was horrible. Something is fundamentally wrong with him he cannot assimilate back into live outside without serious rehab that prison does not provide. Even then, he is a threat. You let him out and make me see him within 100ft of anyone I care about.

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  11. Anonymous says:

    Let he without sin cast the first Stone

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  12. nauticalone says:

    And this story / situation will garner far fewer comments than will listening to and dancing to music on a Sunday!

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  13. Veritas says:

    He should have been sentenced to life in a zoo.

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  14. Anonymous says:

    Nah you can keep him! We don’t want him!

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  15. Anonymous says:

    This would be a youge mistake!

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  16. Anonymous says:

    Whatever to the ‘three strikes’ concept?

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  17. Anonymous says:

    The guy seems to be sick in the head? rapists like this never stop….

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  18. Anonymous says:

    Yet we can’t dance on a Sunday.

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  19. Anonymous says:

    Just looking at this lowlife scumbag, you can see he’s nothing but trouble. These scumbags should be locked away from society forever!

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  20. Sweet Sue says:

    Might I suggest a change in punishment for rape?

    First conviction: Fifty lashes with a cat-o-nine-tails in public.
    Second conviction: Fifty more lashes and castration.

    Problem solved.

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  21. Anonymous says:

    Blind leading the blind with all this HR nonsense. Brexit a classic example of the unshackling of the HR chain. Does absolutely nothing for public safety. In 10 -15 years when it implodes, we’ll revisit our BOR and get rid of the perversity; mark my words.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Brexit; uneducated, rural, xenophobic and unemployed Brits showing their true cultural colours.

      (I’m sure Dave from Hull had HR concerns at the top of his list as he entered the voting booth.)

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      • Anonymous says:

        Silly name calling. Is you little piece of pie threatened?

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      • Anonymous says:

        Ah, a bleeding heart Remainer. No doubt from the South East of England, heaven forbid “Northerners” have an equal right to a say as you, no matter how “uneducated” they are. Pathetic. And what the hell has Brexit got to do with this scumbag anyway – a stretch to connect the two subjects.

        Back on topic – I would feed him a long dose of bromide. Then send him to a jail in San Pedro Sula for 6 months with plenty of bars of soap and a tattoo saying Death to MS13. See how he fairs there.

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        • Anonymous says:

          Ask the OP of the relevance of Brexit, not I.

          As for whether or not I am a Remainer, you cannot deny that the Brits with a degree of understanding of the HR aspect of the EU affiliation were the very Brits that voted remain.

          Again, the unemployable, far right, and near dead were the strongest Leave voters.

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          • Jotnar says:

            Who collectively amounted to more than 50% of the voters? What most democracies call a majority. But its always easier to demonize people who don’t share your views than admit you may be in a minority.

            • Anonymous says:

              It is always easier to be a xenophobic racist as well – moreso when your culture has a strong history of both societal dysfunctions.

  22. Anonymous says:

    This is wonderful news. Thank you EU leftists!

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