Family of murdered Ayrshire teen continuing fight to stop killer being released back into community
The killer of 17-year-old Michelle Stewart, John Wilson will face a parole hearing today.
Last updated 8th Mar 2023
The family of a murdered Ayrshire teen are continuing their fight for tighter legislation to protect victims and their families, as their daughter’s killer faces parole today.
17-year-old Michelle Stewart was stabbed in the back 10 times by ex-boyfriend John Wilson in 2008, in the East Ayrshire town of Drongan.
Michelle had split up with Wilson weeks before her death, but he continued to stalk and harass her for several weeks before eventually killing her.
Wilson was sentenced to a minimum sentence of 12 years in 2009 after pleading guilty at the Glasgow High Court.
Killer up for parole
It’s been 15 years since Michelle’s murder, but now Wilson will face a parole hearing for a 3rd year today.
Wilson has already had his parole rejected twice, and the family of Michelle hope a similar outcome occurs today.
However, they are fighting to make sure Wilson is never released back into the Ayrshire community when the time eventually comes.
It’s part of their Michelle’s Law Campaign which aims to make exclusion zones a mandatory part of parole hearings that would prevent prisoners being released back into the community they committed a crime.
It also aims to allow families to become more involved in the parole process.
Michelle’s family started the campaign after they discovered on social media that Wilson had been spotted in Ayr on unsupervised day release, and it put them through the grief all over again.
"It's the family of the victims serving the life sentence"
Michelle’s sister Lisa is telling {{stationName]} that more needs to be done to ensure criminals are not released back into the community they devastated.
She said: “It’s the victims and their families that end up with the life sentence, and its them that suffer. The offender comes out and back into the community gets back on with their life, and if the parole board has released them back into the same area, the victims are having to change their life to avoid meeting these people.
“As part of our representation to the parole board, you can request licensing conditions. One of them is exclusion zones which is a part of Michelle’s law that we’ve fought for. However, we’ve been told that exclusion zones have always existed, but they’re very rarely used by the parole board. That’s a question we’re continuing to raise, is why they aren’t implemented more often.
“That’s what we’re always trying to put across with Michelle’s Law, and why we’re asking for changes, because it is the families that are suffering and given the life sentence. We must go about changing our lives if he is released back into the area and we already have to live with what he’s done to our family.
“It still brings a lot of anger. I go back to how I’d feel if I did see him. I wouldn’t know how to react, and the first thing that goes through your head is revenge, because all you think of is Michelle lying there that night, it was him who caused that, and you don’t feel he got an adequate sentence.
“She was moving on with her life, she was planning ahead, and planning for careers and getting life advice and it was just all taken away from her.”
Michelle’s dad Kenny is also telling Clyde 1 that it’s unfair for him to be put in a position that would force him to relive the grief that night.
He said: “I don’t want to be put in that position. If I see him in Ayr crossing a road, or in the supermarket or having a laugh or a joke with someone, the first thing that will go through my head is that man stabbed my daughter ten times in the back.
“We’re just not happy with the fact that he could be released back in Ayrshire. I don’t want to see that guy because I don’t know how I’d react.”