Joseph McCann: Probation officers made 'repeated failures' in not sending serial rapist back to prison, report finds

McCann was branded a cowardly “psychopath” when he was jailed for his atrocious crime spree
Met Police
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Probation officers made “repeated failures” in not ordering serial rapist Joseph McCann to return to prison ahead of his sex assault rampage last year, a report has concluded.

McCann, 34, was handed 33 life sentences for a spree of abductions and rapes against women and children that terrorised the country in April 2019.

The convicted burglar, described by his sentencing judge as a "classic psychopath", had been freed after a probation service error two months before he embarked on his cocaine and vodka-fuelled rampage.

A serious further offence review carried out by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), published today, said the "most significant" issue was the "repeated failure to recall Joseph McCann or to reflect critically on earlier decisions not to recall him, in the face of both court and prison staff communicating their concerns."

“From the point where McCann was arrested for burglary in 2017 to the point of his release, there were eight occasions where recall was considered or the recall decision was questioned," the report said.

“These all represented opportunities to recall.

“If the probation service had recalled McCann he would not have been released until the Parole Board was satisfied his release could be managed in the community.”

The findings have prompted the department to ask chief inspector of probation, Justin Russell, to carry out an independent review of the National Probation Service’s management of McCann and how the process of recalling offenders to prison is working.

A union has pointed to "chaotic conditions" in the region where Joseph McCann was supervised owing to the size of staff workloads.

The South East and Eastern National Probation Service (NPS) – which was responsible for McCann’s supervision – was one of 21 rated as "requiring improvement" when it was inspected in May last year.

It showed failings in key areas like workload and staffing.

Ian Lawrence, general secretary of Napo which represents probation staff, previously said staff nationally were working under “massive pressure” and called for a public inquiry into the effects of part-privatising the service four years ago.

In findings published in September, inspectors called on the government to intervene after warning that probation officers handling high-risk offenders were buckling under the pressure of workload and staff shortages.

As of March, the division was supervising more than 16,000 criminals and just over 35 per cent were proven re-offenders.

Probation officers were dealing with at least 42 cases each on average – the highest of any of the seven NPS divisions, according to the report.

The September report found that half the staff interviewed by inspectors said their workload was unmanageable and that there were 102 vacancies for officers at the time, a 16 per cent gap in expected staffing levels.

It concluded that more could be done to “identify and manage risks”.

More than a third of inspected cases were not being reviewed when circumstances changed and only half were properly focused on “keeping people safe”, according to the report.

It added: “Staff relied too much on the individual’s explanation of their offence, rather than corroborating facts with other sources.”

Nearly half (49 per cent) of inspected probation reports did not include full information about the potential risk of harm posed by criminals and factors like child safeguarding were not properly assessed.

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