02 Mar 2010

The inquest into the death of Naomi Bryant – killed in 2005 by convicted sex offender Anthony Rice – was today abandoned as new information about public authorities’ knowledge of the killer was revealed.

The inquest heard that information about Rice’s sexual offending against children, which was believed to have been unavailable to the authorities prior to his release, had been known to agencies in Bradford. These agencies had refused to accept Rice's release into their area. It would seem that this important information was not then shared with agencies elsewhere who were involved in his eventual release.

In light of this revelation, the jury was today dismissed and the inquest abandoned. It is due to be reconvened with a fresh jury in January 2011 and will run for seven weeks.

Emma Norton, legal officer for Liberty and representing Verna Bryant said:

‘Four and a half years after the murder of Naomi Bryant, the full and true extent of what the authorities did and did not know about Anthony Rice is only now slowly coming to light. New information received overnight has made the abandonment of the inquest sadly unavoidable, but it is of paramount importance that no stone be left unturned in the inquiry into Naomi’s death.

Although we are disappointed that almost another year will pass before this inquest will be concluded, it is vital that all questions are answered and all lessons learned.”

At the time of Naomi Bryant’s murder there were suggestions that ‘human rights considerations’ played a part in the decision to release Rice early from prison. The Joint Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights has unequivocally rejected this suggestion, stating that “there was no clear causal connection between any … application of the Human Rights Act and the death of Naomi Bryant.” This inquest – which was secured by the Human Rights Act – will draw out any such failings and enable lessons to be learned from this tragedy

Article 2 of the Human Rights Act – used to secure the re-opening of the inquest and to ensure as broad an inquiry as possible – provides that everyone in Britain has a right to life and places an obligation on the state to protect life. Where the state may have failed to protect life, a full investigation must take place.

Contact: Liberty’s press office on 020 7378 3656 or 07973 831 128

Notes to Editors

1. Anthony Rice had a record of previous sexual offences against females, including a very serious assault on a five-year-old girl. He was released from prison in November 2004 having served almost 16 years of a life sentence for a violent attempted rape. He had previously served a seven-year sentence in the early 1980s for rape and threats to kill, and had multiple convictions for indecent assaults going back to 1972.

2. It was believed that the Parole Board did not have access to information about the assault on the child when it decided to release Rice – something which might have affected the decision to release him.

3. Verna Bryant hopes to get answers to the following questions during the inquest:
a. Did Rice breach the licence under which he was released from custody, and if so, why did any such breaches not trigger his being recalled to prison?
b. Was the hostel Rice was released to suitable for an offender with his history of violent sexual offences?
c. Were there any problems with the license conditions imposed on Rice at the point of his release from prison?