Questions have been asked over why Matthew Armstrong was being held in an open prison
Matthew Armstrong (Left) and Daniel Washbourne (Right) absconded from HMP Leyhill on New Years Day(Image: Avon and Somerset Police)
Questions have been raised over why a Warwickshire murderer with a ‘history of violence’ – including leading a riot and attacking prison guards – was moved to an open prison.
Police are still hunting for Matthew Armstrong, who absconded from HMP Leyhill in South Gloucestershire on New Year’s Day.
Armstrong, 32, killed a man in Rugby in 2009 by beating him around the head with a brick.
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The abscondments were discussed in the House of Commons yesterday (January 5) after an urgent question was tabled by Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick.
Mr Jenrick said the three men who absconded – two of whom are still at large – had been moved to open conditions in 2025 after recommendations from the independent Parole Board.
Referencing Armstrong, Mr Jenrick said: “Why was someone who robbed and brutally killed a man by bashing him on the head with a brick – a man who led a prison riot and attacked prison officers repeatedly – deemed safe for open prison?”
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick asked why escaped murderer Matthew Armstrong was being held in an open prison(Image: PA Wire/PA Images)
In response Alex Davies-Jones, Parliamentary Secretary of State for Victims, said: “We are seeing the deep-rooted issues caused by years of chronic underfunding and mismanagement by the right hon. Gentleman’s government play out. The crisis that our prisons face today was built up over 14 years and the Tories are the chief architects.”
Jess Brown-Fuller, of the Liberal Democrats, also attacked the government, accusing them of ‘glaring incompetence’.
She added: “Matthew Armstrong, a convicted murderer, has a history of violent incidents, including leading a riot and attacking prison guards. Given that record, why did the MOJ feel able to approve his transfer to an open prison? What steps are the Government taking to review the criteria for violent offenders being assessed for transfer to category D prisons when they could pose a risk to the public again? What additional resources are being provided to the victims of these individuals, including the prison officer assaulted by Armstrong who is no longer serving?”
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Ms Davies-Jones responded: “Offenders who are serving a life sentence or an IPP sentence for public protection will be approved for a transfer to open conditions only in response to a recommendation by the Parole Board. Before making that recommendation, the Parole Board conducts a thorough risk assessment of the offender’s risk of harm and risk of absconding, taking into account all those assessments provided by qualified HM Prison and Probation Service staff and other agencies.
“The Secretary of State does have the ability to reject a recommendation from the Parole Board, but to do so they would need evidence to dispute the board’s assessment of risk. Officials, on behalf of the Secretary of State, concluded that there were no grounds under the published policy to reject the board’s recommendations for any of these three individuals.”
She added that the number of absconds is falling year-on-year and there were 57 abscondments from prisons in the year to March 2025 compared to 143 in the 12 months to March 2020.
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