PETER CHESTER SPEAKMAN'S BLACKPOOL CRIME SPREE: CHILD KILLER FIGHTS PRISON VOTING RIGHTS

In a case that has stirred significant controversy and drawn national attention, Peter Chester Speakman, a convicted child murderer from Blackpool, is currently engaged in a legal battle over his right to vote while incarcerated. Chester, who was convicted of raping and strangling his seven-year-old niece, Donna Gillbanks, in 1977, has been serving a life sentence for his heinous crime. Despite the severity of his offense, Chester has received tens of thousands of pounds in legal aid, funded by taxpayers, to support his attempt to secure voting rights for prisoners.

The legal proceedings reached the Supreme Court, where Chester’s lawyers argued that the UK’s longstanding ban on prisoner voting infringed upon his human rights and contravened European Union law. The case was given the green light to proceed despite the Prime Minister’s firm stance that the voting ban should remain intact. This case marks the third time it has been heard in courts, with previous hearings in the Administrative Court in October 2009 and the Court of Appeal in November 2010, both of which dismissed Chester’s claims.

The Supreme Court’s current hearing, which spans two days and involves seven justices, is expected to conclude soon, with a judgment anticipated later this year. The case has also involved other convicted individuals, notably George McGeoch from Glasgow, who is also seeking voting rights. McGeoch, serving a life sentence for the 1998 murder of Eric Innes in Inverness, has been granted legal aid amounting to £7,280 for his case.

In a notable development, the UK’s Attorney General, Dominic Grieve QC, has personally intervened to argue against the prisoners’ voting rights case. He is expected to emphasize that the decision regarding prisoner voting should be a matter for Parliament, not the judiciary. This stance aligns with the overwhelming parliamentary support for maintaining the voting ban, which has been reinforced by MPs’ votes and opposition to European Court of Human Rights rulings that challenge the ban. The European Court’s 2005 ruling in the case of John Hirst, an axe murderer, set a precedent that the ban on prisoner voting violated human rights, prompting the government to consider legislative responses.

Historically, the issue has been contentious. Chester’s case was dismissed by the Administrative Court in 2009 and again by the Court of Appeal in 2010. Lord Justice Laws, who delivered the latter ruling, stated that the matter was a political responsibility best left to ministers. Chester’s sister and the mother of his victim, June Gillbanks of Blackpool, expressed her outrage, stating, “He gave up the right to vote when he strangled and raped my daughter. Prisoners have enough rights and victims very little.”