Sophie Lancaster charity remembers 'all hate crime victims' as killer released

A charity set up after student Sophie Lancaster was kicked and stamped to death because she was dressed as a Goth has said it chooses to "remember all victims of hate crime" as one of her killers is to be freed.

The 20-year-old and her boyfriend were attacked by a gang of teens in a park in Bacup, Lancashire, in 2007 and she died from her injuries 13 days later.

Brendan Harris, who at the age of 15 was jailed for life with a minimum term of 17 years for Sophie's murder, along with his friend Ryan Herbert, is set to be released.

The Sophie Lancaster Foundation said the charity chose to remember victims of hate crime "like Sophie, whose lives were taken, and those whose lives have been irrevocably changed by hatred and violence".

A spokesperson for the Parole Board said a panel had asked for Brendan Harris to be released after a hearing in April.

They said a "huge range of evidence including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change" was considered before the decision.

''Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority."

The panel heard Harris had shown good behaviour in prison and had sought help to deal with a range of problems including violence.

Herbert, who was released in 2022, and Harris attacked Sophie in Stubbylee Park as she begged them to stop beating her boyfriend, Robert Maltby, who was 21 at the time.

The teenagers then turned on her in what the judge who sentenced them in 2008 described as an act of "feral thuggery".

The court heard they were attacked simply because they looked different.

Three other teenagers, two aged 17 and a 16-year-old were also jailed for the attack on Maltby.

The Sophie Lancaster Foundation was set up by the late Sylvia Lancaster, Sophie's mother, in 2009.

The charity aims to create a lasting legacy to her, challenge prejudice towards alternative subcultures and campaign to have them protected by UK hate crime laws.

A foundation spokesperson said it had no comment to make on the killers or their release.

But they added: "At this time, we choose instead to remember all victims of hate crime - those, like Sophie, whose lives were taken, and those whose lives have been irrevocably changed by hatred and violence.

"For many survivors and families, the impact is lifelong.

"We honour Sophie's memory by reaffirming our mission to Stamp Out Prejudice, Hatred and Intolerance Everywhere [SOPHIE], and by continuing our work to challenge hate in all its forms."

The story of her murder led to a radio drama, stage and TV productions and raised awareness of hate crimes against people in alternative subcultures.

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