Collette Gallacher campaign heads to Westminster for ministerial meeting

A campaign for justice for a murdered six-year-old from Corby saw her sisters head to parliament yesterday for talks with a Government minister.

The Northants Telegraph has been campaigning alongside Lauren and Claire Holmes whose sister Collette Gallacher was killed in Corby in 1986.

When her killer Adam Stein was released in 2021, we called for him to be placed on the sex offenders’ register. A legal loophole means those who committed their crimes before the advent of the register in 1997 are not automatically placed on it.

Following a wave of publicity, magistrates gave Stein a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) which meant that he was placed on the register.

Now he is back inside after breaking four conditions of that SHPO last September.

But Lauren and Claire have been told they are not allowed to know what Stein did to land him back in prison after being released. They have also faced barriers in finding out anything but the basic facts about his case and have not been allowed to hear why two parole boards have deemed him fit for release, despite him admitting an ongoing attraction to young girls.

He has been allowed to change his name and enter relationships with teenage women without having to reveal his identity to them.

Reporting by the Northants Telegraph has also been seriously impeded by data protection laws, an unwillingness by the authorities to be transparent, and a high court order that prevents us from reporting some of the background.

Yesterday, (Thursday, April 26) the sisters, accompanied by reporter Kate Cronin, travelled to Westminster for a meeting with Minister of State for Prisons, Parole and Probation Damian Hinds MP.

In a meeting facilitated by Corby MP Tom Pursglove, Mr Hinds wanted to speak to Collette’s family to gather evidence for the Victims and Prisoners Bill which is currently on its second reading in the House of Commons.

The bill seeks to empower victims to give them a say in criminal justice decisions that affect them. It aims to ensure that parole boards put public safety at the forefront of decisions on whether to release dangerous criminals. It will also give the secretary of state the power to veto the release of the most serious offenders.

Following the meeting, Lauren said: “As a family, for our whole lives this has always been a private thing for us. But we’ve had no choice to go public with it because we have faced so many barriers to finding the most basic information about the case and about what Collette’s murderer looks like, where he is and why he has been released.

"We’re so grateful to be here, we never ever thought it would get this far.”

Claire said: “It’s only since we went public with this that we have managed to uncover so much more information. As Collette’s family we should always have been entitled to that information. We shouldn’t have to fight for it.

“The past few years have been very hard but it’s a battle that’s been worth it.

"We’re grateful that Mr Hinds agreed to meet us and to Tom Pursglove for arranging the meeting.

"Adam Stein has been harming women and children since as early as 1981, possibly earlier.

"His warped thoughts, behaviour and actions have been the same for 42 years. Nothing has changed. It’s time to stop giving him chances and put the public safety first.”

Stein has been released from prison twice. During his first release in 2016 he was able adopt a completely new identity and start a relationship with a young woman who did not know his real name. She has since spoken to our reporters about her experiences and said she felt she was groomed. On complaint to the police, she was told that her relationship was consensual.

Following yesterday’s meeting, Mr Pursglove said: “I think it’s impossible for anyone to not be really troubled by the experiences of Lauren, Claire and their entire family.

“Collette’s memory lives on through them and it’s really important that all of their experiences are heard by senior ministers and those who have responsibility for changing policy.

"Given that the Victims and Prisoners Bill is about to come before Parliament there’s some really important evidence here that ministers ought to be hearing about.”

During the early days of the campaign, the Northants Telegraph was able to secure backing from two former Home Secretaries – David Blunkett and Jacqui Smith.

Corby reporter Kate Cronin said: “Since the first day I met Lauren and Claire at the end of 2020 they have astounded me with their courage, their commitment to honouring the memory of Collette, and with their determination to put themselves in the limelight to highlight the importance of the safety of women and girls.

"It would have been easier for them to stay quiet and get on with their lives, but they haven’t done that because they see that their voices are important and that they can force real change.

"They know that this newspaper will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them for however long this takes. They have the whole of Corby in their corner and they are not in this fight alone.

"I’m proud that they have managed to take their campaign all the way to Westminster and I’m thankful that the minister was willing to listen to what they had to say.

"I know that Collette would have been so incredibly proud of what her sisters are doing in her name.”