Woman whose husband was kicked to death in 1997 says ‘evil’ killer should stay ‘locked up’ because a ‘life is a life’ – in new BBC documentary about parole
- Colin Stacey was jailed for life after he killed Leigh Shaw during bloody bar brawl
- READ: Millionaire owner of iconic Brighton restaurants Donatello and Pinocchio was stabbed to death by her teenage grandson after she became concerned with how much cannabis he was smoking, murder trial hears
A woman whose husband was kicked to death in 1997 has said his ‘evil’ killer should stay ‘locked up’ because a ‘life is a life’ in a new BBC documentary which showed the prisoner applying for parole.
Colin Stacey was jailed for life after he killed Leigh Shaw during a bloody bar brawl about football allegiances in October 1997. He was released from jail on licence in 2017.
But within six months, a violent assault at a probation hostel saw him return to prison. In last night’s new BBC series Parole, Stacey, now 54, was seen claiming he’s a changed man to a panel of experts considering if it is safe to release him from prison.
After a hearing of two hours and 15 minutes, two Parole Board officials decided that Stacey deserved his freedom – however, the widow of Mr Shaw, Julie, disagreed.
‘To me, the right decision would be to keep him locked up,’ she said. ‘So to me, a life is a life, Leigh’s not allowed to live, so why should he be allowed to live.
The wife (pictured with her family) of a man who was kicked to death by a prisoner filmed applying for parole in a new BBC documentary has said the ‘evil’ killer should still be ‘locked up’ because a ‘life is a life’
‘Leigh was never given a choice, that choice was taken away from him, whether he lived or died. So why should Colin Stacey have a choice?’
Stacey, a Brighton and Hove Albion fan, attacked West Ham supporter Mr Shaw with a sock full of pool balls before kicking him to death.
‘I’m not the same person I was 25 years ago. I’m a lot older, a lot more mature, I know the consequences of my actions — I should be released, without a doubt,’ Stacey insisted in the documentary.
The series offers an unflinching look at the system which releases thousands of prisoners yearly. Stacey, of Brighton, was among the 16,000 potentially dangerous criminals seeking parole – with about 4,000 being released each year.
He previously got parole in 2017 but was put back in jail after a fight. The BBC series showed how he had to convince a two-person Parole Board he had tackled his anger.
After being granted his release, Stacey said: ‘I’m going home, it’s absolutely brilliant. I’m very relieved… I didn’t know which way it was going to go,’ he admitted, before adding: ‘I’m not a danger to the public, I deserve to be released.’
Following the Parole Board’s decision, Julie said: ‘I fully expected him to be released. Life’s not fair and I just have to move on with it. I can’t change it, I don’t agree with it, but I can’t let it hold me back.
‘Whatever I do or say, I can rant and shout and scream, but it won’t make any difference. Might make me feel a little bit better for a little while, but it won’t change anything.’
Colin Stacey was jailed for life after he killed Leigh Shaw during a bloody bar brawl about football allegiances in October 1997. He was released from jail on licence in 2017. Pictured, the widow of Mr Shaw, Julie
But within six months, a violent assault at a probation hostel saw him return to prison. In last night’s new BBC series Parole, Stacey (pictured), now 54, was seen claiming he’s a changed man to a panel of experts considering if it is safe to release him from prison
Stacey, a Brighton and Hove Albion fan, attacked West Ham supporter Mr Shaw with a sock full of pool balls before kicking him to death
Elsewhere in the programme, Julie recalled the moment she was told her husband was in hospital.
Leigh had been at Valley Social Club in Whitehawk Way, Brighton, while Julie remained home with their children.
‘I remember in the evening I was ironing, done that, I think I watched EastEnders, then I went to bed,’ she said.
‘I remember being woken up, I don’t know what time it was, but I remember the door banging, someone knocking on the door, went downstairs, I don’t know who I was expecting it to be, I think I thought he’d forgotten his, or he’d lost his keys or something.
‘I opened the door and I just remember seeing a traffic policeman there and he just said to me, “are you Mrs Shaw?” and I said “yes”, and he said “there’s been an accident, your husband’s in the hospital.”
Elsewhere in the programme, Julie recalled the moment she was told her husband was in hospital
Leigh had been at Valley Social Club in Whitehawk Way, Brighton, while Julie (pictured) remained home with their children
‘My dad took me up the hospital, and we went in to A&E, and a lady said to me, “he doesn’t look very good.” It’s just the shock of seeing him like that, literally went numb, he wasn’t there, he was gone,’ recalled Julie.
She added: ‘I didn’t know Colin Stacey. I knew of him. When I found out it was him that had murdered Leigh.
‘I recognised the name, I knew him as one of those kids, that, it’s hard to describe, there’s kids that you see and you look at them and you think, yeah, you’re just evil, you’ve just got that look.’
The credits of the documentary revealed Stacey is now living in a one-bed flat with his dog, Rolo.
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