BERNARD MACANASPIE'S HORRIFIC CRIME IN HARLOW: VICTIM'S PARENTS FIGHT AGAINST EARLY RELEASE

In July 1981, Bernard MacAnaspie, a resident of Harlow, Middlesex, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment at St Albans Crown Court for the brutal murder of nine-year-old Steven Edmonston. The young boy, who was an avid football fan and a schoolboy from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, had gone missing in October 1980, sparking a nationwide search that gripped the community and devastated his family.

Steven was last seen outside his home, and over the following ten days, his parents, Tony and Sue Edmonston, endured unimaginable anguish. Their grief was compounded by the fact that their next-door neighbor and family friend, Bernard MacAnaspie, had been providing them with support during their time of despair. Unbeknownst to them, MacAnaspie was concealing a dark secret: he was the perpetrator of their son's murder.

On the day Steven disappeared, MacAnaspie, a divorced father of two and a known paedophile, lured the young boy into his home in Essex. It was only after two children came forward and reported seeing Steven being called into MacAnaspie’s house that police were able to connect him to the crime. The investigation revealed that MacAnaspie had subjected Steven to a horrific attack, involving punching, kicking, clubbing, and stripping him. The child was also sexually assaulted in a vicious manner before being strangled and stabbed through the heart, leading to his tragic death.

Following a trial, the court sentenced MacAnaspie to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 20 years, reflecting the severity of his crimes. The judge’s ruling was clear: such a heinous act warranted a life sentence, and it was widely believed that MacAnaspie would never be released. Despite this, the families of Steven and the wider community have continued to fight for justice, advocating that he remains behind bars indefinitely.

In recent developments, Tony and Sue Edmonston have been informed that MacAnaspie is being considered for early reintegration into society. Parole authorities have indicated plans for him to participate in day release programs, including shopping trips in and around the Bath area, and possibly moving him to an open prison, which could eventually lead to his release on parole. This news has caused profound distress for Steven’s parents, who have expressed their outrage and fear.

Mrs. Sue Edmonston, now 53, voiced her fury, stating, “Life should mean life. He should never be released.” She recounted how, after Steven’s disappearance, MacAnaspie had appeared to be a supportive neighbor, but in reality, he was hiding a monstrous secret. The couple has written a heartfelt letter to the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, pleading for the killer to be kept behind bars permanently. They emphasized that MacAnaspie used their friendship to sexually abuse their son and then murdered him to conceal his crime. They also highlighted that MacAnaspie has never accepted his status as a paedophile, and his apparent normalcy after the murder makes him a continuing threat.

They expressed their deep concern that if released, MacAnaspie might re-offend, posing a danger to other children and families. “We could not bear to see him inflict on other families the suffering we have endured,” they wrote. The couple’s fears are shared by victims’ rights advocates, including Norman Brennan of the Victims Of Crime Trust, who stated that paedophile murderers should never be granted parole, given the absence of a medical cure for paedophilia and the inherent danger they pose.

Adding to the controversy, recent proposals by Britain’s judiciary, including draft guidelines from Lord Woolf, suggest that murderers could be eligible for release after as little as seven years, a move that has outraged victims’ families and critics. Mrs. Edmonston condemned these plans, asserting that shorter sentences undermine justice and insult the memory of Steven. She criticized the government’s decision to reduce the minimum murder sentence from 15 to potentially just seven years, arguing that such policies threaten public safety and diminish the severity of the crime.

As the debate continues, Steven’s parents remain resolute in their fight to keep MacAnaspie behind bars, advocating for justice and the safety of the community. Their tragic story underscores the ongoing struggle for victims’ rights and the importance of ensuring that heinous crimes are met with appropriate and lasting punishment.