Killer Silcott goes shopping

Convicted murderer Winston Silcott has been let out of jail to go on a shopping trip as part of the preparations for his eventual release, the Evening Standard can reveal.

Silcott was convicted but then cleared on appeal for the murder of Pc Keith Blakelock during the 1985 Broadwater Farm riots, but he is still serving a life sentence for stabbing a man to death at a party months earlier.

He won £50,000 damages for false imprisonment and malicious prosecution from the Metropolitan Police two years ago, provoking uproar from Pc Blakelock's widow Elizabeth and his former Scotland Yard colleagues, who threatened to launch a civil case against Silcott.

News that he is now on the road to release will cause further distress to family, friends and colleagues of the murdered police officer. A source has confirmed that Silcott was released from Stocken jail in Leicestershire and mingled with shoppers during an escorted day out with a prison officer on 11 October.

Mark Leech, chief executive of the ex-offenders' association Unlock, said: "A town visit shows a prisoner is progressing towards their release, it is about slowly re-introducing them to the world, getting them used to handling money and showing they can be trusted.

"Usually they would be taken down to the local town. They might have a pint in the pub or a meal in a cafe and a walk around town. They can use their own money to buy something in the shops if they have prior approval to take something back to the prison. They wouldn't be handcuffed, but the officer would have a radio and would be carrying handcuffs if the prisoner tried to escape."

Mr Leech said it was likely a prisoner would be taken on up to five town visits ahead of a parole hearing which could see them moved to an open prison.

It is the first time he has been allowed out since he was locked up 16 years ago. After he was given a life sentence for the murder of boxer Anthony Smith, Silcott was told he must serve a minimum of 14 years before he became eligible for parole.

He is set for a parole board review early in the New Year. He has been through courses on anger management and strategic thinking, regarded as essential for anyone hoping to be cleared for release. The next phase is likely to see him moved to an open prison, where he would have to spend at least 18 months before release - so he is likely to be out in 2003 at the earliest. Sources stress that any parole board recommendation of a move to an open prison would have to be approved by a Home Office minister.

Before he could be released the Home Secretary would have to be satisfied that he did not pose a risk to the public. A team of 40 Scotland Yard officers is presently reinvestigating the Blakelock murder.