A convicted double murderer has been granted early release from prison, a decision that has sparked outrage among the family of one of his victims.
Andrew McVicar, who committed his first murder at the age of 15 by fatally slashing Tony Harrington’s throat with a broken bottle in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, on Christmas Eve in 1999, was imprisoned again 19 years later for killing 57-year-old Tim Smith during a burglary in Hullbridge, Essex.
McVicar, who was apprehended by armed police in 2017 and subsequently sentenced to 12 years behind bars, has now been released on parole after serving only seven years of his sentence. His flaunting of his muscular physique on social media shortly after his release has only added to the public outcry.
Julie Sinfield, the mother of Tony Harrington, expressed her disgust at the killer’s release for the second time, condemning the decision to set him free despite being sentenced to two life terms. Another source close to Tony echoed these sentiments, labeling McVicar’s release as appalling and asserting that he should never have been granted freedom after taking two lives.
McVicar’s second victim, Tim Smith, succumbed to severe injuries after being pushed to the ground and striking his head on a wall during a robbery orchestrated by McVicar and his accomplice, Colin Garrod. The perpetrators, wearing balaclavas and armed with an imitation gun, targeted Smith and his family as they returned home from a pub, resulting in Smith’s tragic death.
Following the robbery, McVicar fled to Scotland for another crime spree before being captured by authorities. During his trial, it was revealed that he had tattoos on his forearms reading “honour” and “pride,” further underscoring his dangerous nature.
Despite the gravity of his crimes and the public uproar surrounding his release, McVicar was set free by the independent Parole Board last month, drawing sharp criticism from the victims’ families and the wider community. The Ministry of Justice confirmed his release, emphasizing that life-sentenced prisoners released on parole are subject to strict supervision and can be returned to prison if they violate their conditions.