The last ‘feral thug’ still behind bars for kicking and stamping Sophie Lancaster to death for being dressed as a goth has been cleared for release.
Despite Brendan Harris, now 35, being convicted of breaking a nurse’s nose during his time 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 viciously beat up 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 last moments cradling her partner’s head in her lap as the thugs kicked and beat her unconscious. She died in hospital two weeks later.
Witnesses claimed the attackers celebrated afterwards, boasting: ‘There’s two moshers nearly dead up there – you wanna see them – they’re a right mess.’
Her killing sparked a wave of revulsion, with her mother Sylvia – who died in 2022 – later appointed OBE after campaigning to have attacks on members of alternative sub-cultures designated 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 imposing life sentences for what he branded their ‘feral thuggery’.
Both were also convicted of GBH against Mr Maltby, with Harris receiving an indeterminate sentence.
Brendan Harris (pictured), was found guilty of Sophie’s murder in 2008 and jailed for life with a minimum term of 18 years
Sophie Lancaster (pictured), 20, spent her last moments cradling her partner’s head in her lap as thugs kicked and beat 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 on licence in 2022 after the Parole Board ruled he had made ‘significant changes to his life which reflected his remorse, his insight and increased maturity’.
At the time, Sophie’s mother said she was ‘very disappointed’, saying: ‘Once again we have a justice system that fails to deliver justice.
‘However much progress people make in prison, they have been given their sentence in recognition of the extent of their crime,’ she added.
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‘Her attackers may not have been given a life sentence, but I have.’
Tragically Dr Lancaster died suddenly in hospital just a month later.
In response to Harris being cleared for release, the charity set up to honour Sophie’s legacy said it had ‘no comment to make on the perpetrators’.
But in a statement today, the Sophie Lancaster Foundation said: ‘At this time, we choose instead to remember all victims of hate crime – those, like Sophie, whose lives were taken, and those whose lives have been irrevocably changed by hatred and violence.
‘For many survivors and families, the impact is lifelong.
‘We honour Sophie’s memory by reaffirming our mission to stamp out prejudice, hatred and intolerance everywhere, and by continuing our work to challenge hate in all its forms.’
Harris – fuelled 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 at Sophie’s face, his trial heard.
Along with Herbert he had been convicted of kicking and stamping on a 16-year-old a few weeks earlier.
Harris – who was ordered to serve a minimum term of 17 years and three months – has remained behind bars until now.
Sophie’s mother, Dr Sylvia Lancaster OBE, who died in 2022, previously said she was ‘very disappointed’ by the release of Ryan Herbert for murdering her daughter
During his sentence he was transferred to a psychiatric hospital after being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.
But in 2013 he broke the nose of a male nurse with what a court heard was a single ‘substantial’ blow.
He was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm and four months was added to his life sentence, returning to prison in 2014.
Harris reached the end of his minimum term in August 2025, meaning he became eligible for parole.
His first review has now recommended that he is released on licence, subject to strict conditions, with a panel saying he had ‘not displayed any violence for over 13 years’.
The hearing, a summary of which was made public on Tuesday, heard that following the attack on the nurse he went on to complete a programme to address his use of violence.
According to the report, his ‘risk factors’ from the time of the murder included his ‘way of life and choice of friends’ as well as misuse of alcohol and drugs.
As a teenager, Harris also ‘struggled to manage extreme emotions’, ‘acted without thinking about the consequences’ and ‘demonstrated poor problem-solving skills’.
It said that at the time of its review he was ‘engaging with a specialist regime designed to help people recognise and deal with 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 while trying to defend him
(Left to right) Daniel Mallett, Danny Hulme and Joseph Hulme who were also convicted for their part in the assault on Robert Maltby and Sophie Lancaster
‘The panel was told that Mr Harris’ behaviour in the prison had been good,’ it states.
‘The panel was told that Mr Harris had been motivated to do well and address his risk factors.
‘All the witnesses at the oral hearing supported Mr Harris’ release.’
The panel examined a release plan provided by his probation officer and ‘weighed its proposals against assessed risks’.
The proposed release plan restricted where Harris can live as well as placing ‘strict limitations’ on his ‘contacts, movements and activities’.
‘The panel concluded this plan was robust enough to manage him in the community,’ it 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 displayed any violence for over 13 years.
‘Witnesses considered him to have developed good insight and there had been no concerns about alcohol or drug use during his sentence.’
Other terms of his release include being of good behaviour, disclosing developing relationships with his probation officer, adhering to a curfew and submitting to alcohol monitoring and drug testing.
He must also abide by an exclusion zone to avoid contact with victims and continue work to address his risk factors.
In 2021 Sophie’s mother worked with Coronation Street producers on a hard-hitting storyline about hate crime.
In the show, characters Nina Lucas and Seb Franklin were violently attacked because of the former’s appearance by a gang of drunken youths.
The storyline had many similarities to what happened to Sophie.
Sophie Lancaster: The girl murdered for looking like a Goth
Pictured in hospital after she was attacked, Sophie Lancaster died 13 days later
Sophie Lancaster was murdered aged 20 in 2007 by a number of teenage boys who attacked her and her boyfriend Robert Maltby, then 21, while they walked through Stubbylee Park, Lancashire, on August 11.
Police believe the attack was linked to the couple wearing gothic clothes.
A 15-year-old witness told police: ‘They were running over and just kicking her in the head, and jumping up and down on her head.’
Police said it was ‘a sustained attack during the course of which the pair received serious head injuries and their faces were so swollen we could not ascertain which one was female and which one was male’. Robert also fell into a coma before gradually recovering. He has no memory of the attack.
Witnesses claimed the attackers celebrated afterwards, boasting: ‘There’s two moshers nearly dead up – you wanna see them – they’re a right mess.’
Sophie went into a coma and died 13 days after the attack due to severe head injuries. She was placed on life support, which hospital staff terminated after determining she would never regain consciousness.
As the trial in 2008, the prosecution told the hearing: ‘Sophie and Robert were singled out not for anything they had said or done, but because they looked and dressed differently.’
Sophie’s mother Sylvia, who later founded the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, said: ‘The thing that makes me most angry is that it is seen as an isolated incident, maybe the seriousness of what happened to Sophie is isolated, but attacks are far from isolated. Just because you follow a different culture you are targeted; you are seen as easy pickings.’
The Sophie Lancaster Foundation was set up to challenge prejudice towards people from alternative subcultures and to campaign for hate crime legislation to be extended to include such individuals.
