Adam Swellings was sentenced to life for the murder of Mr Newlove who was attacked during a row over vandalism at his Warrington home in 2007. Earlier this month the Parole Board recommended he be moved to open prison. But Justice Secretary Dominic Raab has blocked the move for Swellings, who is eligible for parole in August 2024. Mr Raab tweeted “It’s my job to keep the public safe – that’s why I’ve blocked Adam Swellings’s move to open prison.” Describing Mr Newlove’s murder as a “horrific crime”, he continued: “Under our reforms, we will take a more precautionary approach – with public protection put first.” Swelling was 19 years old when he was jailed for a minimum of 17 years in 2008. The trial heard Mr Newlove, who was 47, was kicked “like a football” when he confronted Swellings and two others about vandalism of his wife’s car outside his home. Stephen Sorton, then 17, and Jordan Cunliffe, then 16, were also jailed for life, with minimum terms of 15 and 12 years respectively. Following the case, Mr Newlove’s widow Helen campaigned for action on youth crime. She became Baroness Newlove in 2010 for her work and later served as the Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales from 2012 to 2019. In 2020, a judge ruled that Jordan Cunliffe should be released, despite a challenge from then-Justice Secretary Robert Buckland, who claimed claiming there was “insufficient evidence” he was no longer a risk to the public.
