The last ‘wild criminal’ still behind bars for kicking and stamping to death Sophie Lancaster in 2007 because she dressed as a goth, is released
The last ‘wild criminal’ still behind bars for kicking and stamping Sophie Lancaster to death because she dressed as a goth has been released.
Despite Brendan Harris, now 35, being convicted of breaking a nurse’s nose while in custody for the shocking 2007 murder, the Parole Board has concluded he no longer poses a risk to the public.
Harris was just 15 when he and a group of friends brutally beat 21-year-old Robert Maltby in a park in Bacup, Lancashire, before turning on his girlfriend Sophie as she rushed to defend him.
Sophie, 20, spent her final moments with her partner’s head in her lap as the thugs kicked and punched her unconscious. She died in hospital two weeks later.
Witnesses claimed the attackers celebrated afterwards and bragged: “There are two moshers up there who are almost dead – you want to see them – it’s a real mess.”
Her murder sparked a wave of outrage, with her mother Sylvia – who died in 2022 – later appointed OBE after campaigning for attacks on members of alternative subcultures to be branded as hate crimes.
One of the attackers, Ryan Herbert, then aged 16, was convicted of Sophie’s murder, while Harris was convicted after a trial, with a judge handing down life sentences for what he called their ‘savage beating’.
Both were also convicted of GBH against Mr Maltby, with Harris given an indeterminate sentence.
Brendan Harris (pictured), was found guilty of Sophie’s murder in 2008 and given a life sentence of at least 18 years
Sophie Lancaster (pictured), 20, spent her final moments with her partner’s head in her lap as thugs kicked and punched her unconscious. She died in hospital two weeks later
Sophie’s boyfriend Robert Maltby, pictured ahead of her funeral in 2007
Herbert was cleared for release in 2022 after the Parole Board ruled he had made “significant changes in his life that reflected his remorse, insight and increased maturity.”
Sophie’s mother said at the time that she was ‘very disappointed’, saying: ‘Once again we have a justice system that is failing to deliver justice.
“No matter how much progress people make in prison, they received their sentence in recognition of the magnitude of their crime,” she added.
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“Her attackers may not have received a life sentence, but I did.”
Tragically, Dr. Lancaster died suddenly in hospital just a month later.
Responding to Harris’ release, the charity set up to honor Sophie’s legacy said it ‘does not comment on the perpetrators’.
But today the Sophie Lancaster Foundation said in a statement: ‘At this time we choose to remember all victims of hate crime – those, like Sophie, whose lives were taken, and those whose lives were irrevocably changed by hate and violence.
“For many survivors and families, the impact is lifelong.
“We honor Sophie’s memory by reaffirming our mission to root out prejudice, hatred and intolerance everywhere, and by continuing our work to challenge hate in all its forms.”
Harris – fueled by cider, Stella Artois lager and peach schnapps – admitted starting the frenzied attack, saying he was ‘drunk and showing off’.
He launched a volley of kicks into Sophie’s face, his trial heard.
Together with Herbert, he had been convicted a few weeks earlier of kicking and stamping on a 16-year-old.
Harris – who had to serve a minimum term of seventeen years and three months – has so far remained behind bars.
Sophie’s mother, Dr Sylvia Lancaster OBE, who died in 2022, previously said she was ‘very disappointed’ by the release of Ryan Herbert over her daughter’s murder
During his sentence, he was transferred to a psychiatric hospital after being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.
But in 2013 he broke a nurse’s nose with a single ‘substantial’ blow, the court heard.
He was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm and four months were added to his life sentence. In 2014 he returned to prison.
Harris reached the end of his minimum term in August 2025, meaning he was eligible for parole.
His initial review now recommends he be released on license under strict conditions, with a panel saying he has ‘not shown any violence for over 13 years’.
During the hearing, the summary of which was made public on Tuesday, it became clear that he was going to complete a program to address his use of violence after the attack on the nurse.
According to the report, his “risk factors” from the time of the murder included his “lifestyle and choice of friends,” as well as alcohol and drug abuse.
As a teenager, Harris also had “difficulty controlling extreme emotions,” “acted without thinking of consequences” and “demonstrated poor problem-solving skills.”
It said that at the time of the review he was ‘working with a specialist regime designed to help people recognize and tackle a wide range of problems’.
Ryan Herbert (pictured) was 16 when he and a group of friends viciously beat Robert Maltby in a park in Bacup, Lancashire, in 2007 before turning on his girlfriend Sophie Lancaster, who was fatally attacked as she tried to defend him.
(From left to right) Daniel Mallett, Danny Hulme and Joseph Hulme who were also convicted for their part in the attack on Robert Maltby and Sophie Lancaster
“The panel was told that Mr Harris’s conduct in prison was good,” it said.
‘The panel was told that Mr Harris was motivated to do well and address his risk factors.
“All witnesses at the hearing supported Mr. Harris’ release.”
The panel examined a release plan provided by his probation officer and “weighed the proposals against the assessed risks.”
The proposed release plan limited where Harris can live and placed “strict restrictions” on his “contacts, movements and activities.”
“The panel concluded that this plan was robust enough to allow him to operate in the community,” the report said.
‘After considering the circumstances of his offending, the progress made while in custody and the evidence presented at the hearing, the panel was satisfied that imprisonment was no longer necessary for the protection of the public.
‘The panel noted that Mr Harris had not shown any violence in more than thirteen years.
‘Witnesses believed he had developed good judgment and there had been no concerns about alcohol or drug use during his sentence.’
Other conditions of his release include displaying good behavior, making public the development of relationships with his probation officer, adhering to a curfew and submitting to alcohol and drug testing.
He must also adhere to an exclusion zone to avoid contact with victims and continue to address his risk factors.
In 2021, Sophie’s mother worked with Coronation Street producers on a strong hate crime storyline.
In the show, characters Nina Lucas and Seb Franklin were violently attacked due to the former’s actions by a gang of drunken youths.
The storyline had many similarities to what happened to Sophie.
Sophie Lancaster: Killed the girl because she looked like a goth
Sophie Lancaster, pictured in hospital after being attacked, died 13 days later
Sophie Lancaster was murdered in 2007, aged 20, by a number of teenage boys who attacked her and her boyfriend Robert Maltby, then 21, as they walked through Stubbylee Park, Lancashire, on August 11.
Police believe the attack was related to the couple wearing Gothic clothing.
A 15-year-old witness told police: ‘They ran towards her, kicked her in the head and jumped up and down on her head.’
Police said it was “a sustained attack that left the pair with serious head injuries and their faces so swollen that we could not identify which was female and which was male.” Robert also fell into a coma before gradually recovering. He has no memory of the attack.
Witnesses claimed the attackers celebrated afterwards and bragged: “There are two moshers almost dead – you want to see them – it’s a real mess.”
Sophie fell into a coma and died 13 days after the attack due to severe head injuries. She was placed on life support, but hospital staff ended it after determining she would never regain consciousness.
At the trial in 2008, the prosecutor said at the hearing: ‘Sophie and Robert were not singled out because of what they had said or done, but because they looked and dressed differently.’
Sophie’s mother Sylvia, who later founded the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, said: ‘What angers me most is that it is being seen as an isolated incident. Perhaps the severity of what happened to Sophie is isolated, but attacks are far from isolated. Just because you follow a different culture makes you a target; you are seen as easy prey.”
The Sophie Lancaster Foundation was established to tackle prejudice against people from alternative subcultures and campaign for the extension of hate crime legislation to such people.