More than 2,500 serious offenders including killers will be stripped of their benefits following a campaign by victims' families.
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offenders → include → families
New rules will close a loophole which allows offenders who are detained in hospital rather than in jail to collect more than £800 a month in Universal Credit – amounting to thousands in taxpayer cash over a long sentence.
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who → close → sentence
It follows a campaign by the families of the victims of paranoid schizophrenic Valdo Calocane who is serving a hospital order after killing three people in Nottingham.
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who → follow → Nottingham
While prisoners are banned from claiming state benefits, convicted criminals who receive treatment in psychiatric hospitals remain eligible for welfare.
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who → ban → welfare
The changes will end the so-called 'double provision' whereby offenders can claim benefits at the taxpayer's expense despite already having their bed and board funded by the taxpayer through the NHS.
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bed → end → NHS
The proposed change is expected to save tens of millions of pounds each year.
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change → propose → pounds
Emma Webber, whose son, Barnaby, 19, was one of the three victims stabbed to death by Calocane in Nottingham in June 2023, said it was long overdue.
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it → stab → June
'It was a disgrace that Calocane and offenders like him have ever received taxpayers' money,' she said.
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she → receive → money
Valdo Calocane is serving a hospital order after he was convicted over the 2023 Nottingham killings that left three people dead
Ian Coates, Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar were stabbed to death Calocane
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Coates → serve → death
A hospital bed does not erase the egregious crimes committed, nor the destruction they have caused.
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they → erase → crimes
Closing this loophole finally delivers some basic accountability that victims deserve.
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victims → close → that
'
Calocane is serving an indefinite hospital order after pleading guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and is currently eligible for benefits.
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Calocane → serve → benefits
Dr Sanjoy Kumar, whose daughter Grace O'Malley Kumar, 19, was also killed by Calocane, said: 'Our campaign has always been about accountability and fairness.
'
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campaign → kill → accountability
Offenders with treatment orders already cost the taxpayer an enormous amount.
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Offenders → cost → amount
On release, every offender gets help with housing and benefits.
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offender → get → housing
'On the principle of fairness alone, we do not see why taxpayers should fund benefits while they are incarcerated.
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they → see → benefits
Convicted killers and serious sexual offenders detained in hospital are among those who will lose their entitlement to benefits from early next year.
They include those who were convicted of manslaughter, attempted murder, rape and sexual assault.
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who → convict → manslaughter
The regulations will be laid in Parliament on October 20 and remain subject to parliamentary approval.
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regulations → lay → approval
Currently an offender could receive more than £800 a month.
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offender → receive → 800
The change is expected to affect 2,500 offenders already in hospital and approximately 200 a year in future.
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change → expect → future
The government said it was about ensuring fairness in the welfare system and delivered on a promise made earlier this year to close the loophole.
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it → say → loophole
Charity worker Kennedi Westcarr-Sabaroche, 25, murdered in April 2024 by her boyfriend
Gogoa Tape, a cannabis who addict strangled his girlfriend to death in a jealous and paranoid rage before driving around with her body in the passenger seat of her own car
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Pat McFadden said: 'We said we'd act to tackle this gross unfairness and we're delivering on that promise.
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we → murder → promise
'For too long these violent criminals have had their living costs paid by the taxpayer twice over, while their victims and families paid the price.
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victims → have → price
'That ends today because victims and taxpayers deserve a system that is fair and supports only those who genuinely need it.'
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who → end → it
Leon Westcarr whose niece Kennedi Westcarr-Sabaroche, 25, was killed by her partner Gogoa Lois Tape, 28, also welcomed the changes.
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niece → kill → changes
Tape, who used cannabis and had 'undiagnosed' schizophrenia at the time of the attack, was given a hospital order after pleading guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.
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who → use → responsibility
Mr Westcarr said: 'The loss of my niece can never be undone, but I am encouraged that this long-standing injustice has been recognised and addressed.'
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injustice → say → niece
Ms Westcarr-Sabaroche's mother Linda Westcarr said: 'For many victims' families, the question of whether serious offenders should continue to receive benefits raises understandable concerns about fairness, accountability and the values we uphold as a society.
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we → say → society
In my view, this is not simply a question of policy; it is also a matter of moral responsibility and ensuring that the impact on victims and their families is properly recognised.
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impact → ensure → victims
For families like mine, the consequences of losing a loved one are devastating and lifelong.
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consequences → lose → one
Kennedi's life was taken, her child is growing up without a mother, and our family continues to live with the trauma of her death.
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family → take → death
'I welcome this announcement as a step towards addressing these concerns and achieving a greater sense of fairness for victims' families.'
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I → welcome → families
Julian Hendy, from the Hundred Families which supports those whose loved ones have been killed by someone with a mental illness, said: 'This is a very welcome move and something we've been campaigning on for nearly a decade.
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we → support → decade
'Paying thousands of pounds of state benefits to mentally disordered offenders on hospital orders who have committed the most serious of crimes cannot be justified.
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who → pay → crimes
'Dangerous offenders should not be rewarded for their crimes, particularly when they have no costs and when victims' families have to struggle so hard to get appropriate care and support.
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families → reward → care
'That's why we're very grateful the government has taken action to close this dangerous loophole, which will surely help keep patients, their families, and the public safe.'
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which → take → patients
The decision to remove benefits from serious offenders will not affect people currently detained under the Mental Health Act 1983, who have not committed any offence.
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who → remove → offence
The Aporia
