London Bridge Massacres

On November 29, Cambridge graduates Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones were stabbed by convicted terrorist Usman Khan in Fishmongers Hall during a prisoners rehabilitation conference. Several other instances of murders and stabbings on the London Bridge have been reported in the past, the most well-known of these attacks being the June 2017 and May 2019 London Bridge attacks.

The prisoner rehabilitation conference where the attack occurred is mainly used to determine if certain prisoners should be released earlier if they are no longer deemed a threat. Usman Khan was jailed for his participation in the failed 2012 bombing of the London stock exchange. There has been much controversy revolving around the issue of early prison sentences for UK criminals. UK’s prime minister Boris Johnson stated that he found it “repulsive” that someone as “dangerous” as Khan could be released after “only serving eight years.” Johnson has claimed to be delivering more stringent punishments for severe offences that pertain to terrorism, sexual assault, murder and assault.

The public is likely to fear the release of terrorists and prisoners as they do not trust that these prisoners are reformed. In addition, the actions undertaken by Khan further convince the populous that some criminals may not reformed by the programs put forth by the government. These feelings of fear and caution are likely to throw the country into disarray, as citizens may harbour doubts about their safety. The families of the victims are likely to expect those convicted for such severe crimes to pay the price for their wrongdoings. They may feel some contempt towards the government as it attempts to release those convicted for severe offences to be released back into society.

The London Bridge Massacre further highlights the importance for reform in the UK legal system as those deemed fit for release must be properly evaluated. In the case of Khan, it seems that some issues in oversight created a threat towards the safety of UK citizens. UK administration are currently looking into the issue and are likely to make policy changes to ensure that such horrendous events do not take place again.