The brother and sister of Tony Paris, one of the ‘Cardiff Three’, have spoken out after convicted murderer Jeffrey Gafoor tastes freedom
SIBLINGS of a man who was wrongly jailed for 17 years for the infamous murder of Lynette White have slammed the decision to grant day release to the actual killer, Jeffrey Gafoor.
Gafoor, who stabbed 20-year-old Lynette nearly 70 times in her Butetown flat on Valentine’s Day in 1988, has “successfully undertaken temporary releases from prison,” according to the Parole Board.
The late Tony Paris was one of the ‘Cardiff Three’ – three men who were wrongly convicted and jailed in November 1990 for White’s murder and subsequently aquitted in 1992. Paris was jailed alongside Yusef Abdullahi and Stephen Miller. Paris was 65 when he died.
The case is recognised as one of the gravest miscarriages of justice in the British history.
Advances in DNA technology led to the arrest in 2003 of Jeffrey Gafoor and he was sentenced to a minimum of 13 years. Gafoor has appealed to the Parole Board multiple times previously and was recently relocated to an open prison.
Now he has been granted day release and Lloyd and Rosie Parris, Tony’s brother and sister, are angry at that decision.
“He shouldn’t be in the open – I don’t want him to commit another offence,” said Lloyd.
Rosie said: “We can’t really speak for the whole community, but it has certainly had a negative affect on us.
“Why should we have to put up with the fact that he will be out on the street?”
Although the Court of Appeals quashed the convictions of the innocent men in 1992, the repercussions and sense of injustice have stayed with the community.
“My brother has passed away now but it is not just about him,” said Lloyd.
“It is about our family. We have unfortunately been affected by this for a long time. Every Valentine’s Day that passes, we remember Lynette again.”
On the decision to give Gafoor day release, The Parole Board said: “Mr Gafoor’s custodial conduct continued to cause no concerns.”
However, Lloyd says the decision will have an effect on everyone affected by Gafoor’s crime.
“I don’t believe he should be coming out of jail or even be in an open jail,” he said.
“My brother was given (sentenced to) 17 years. Yusef and Stephen were also given 17 years.
“Why is he serving less than what they were sentenced? He should be serving all three of their sentences – 51 years.”
A petition has been set up in the ‘Tiger Bay’ community in an attempt to influence the Parole Board’s decision and prevent Gafoor from leaving prison again.
