Sophie Lancaster murder: where is killer Ryan Herbert now - what happened to her and boyfriend Robert Maltby?

One of the killers of Sophie Lancaster, who was attacked in a park along with her boyfriend Robert Maltby, is set to be freed from jail after being issued a life sentence in 2008.

It was announced in March that the Parole Board decided that Ryan Herbert could be released on licence, 15 years after the attack took place.

Weeks after the decision from the Parole Board, Sophie’s mother, Sylvia Lancaster, passed away.

This is what you need to know.

What happened to Sophie Lancaster and boyfriend Robert Maltby?

When Sophie Lancaster and boyfriend Robert Maltby were 20 and 21, respectively, they were attacked by a group of five young men, all aged between 15 and 17 years old, at around 1:10am on Saturday 1 August 2007, near the skate park in Stubbylee Park, Bacup.

Sophie and Robert had been together for three years at that point, and the two were involved in goth subculture.

The couple had been walking home at the time of the attack. Initially, the group, which included Ryan Herbert and Brendan Harris assaulted Robert, knocking him unconscious.

Sophie, whilst attempting to shield Robert from further harm, was then also subjected to a “sustained and vicious attack” which involved her head being kicked and stamped on until she also lost consciousness.

Police later identified that the likely reason that they were attacked was because of their appearance and the fact that they were goths. Both Sophie and Robert’s families confirmed that the pair had run into trouble before due to their clothing, hairstyles and piercings.

Robert’s uncle, Nigel Lancashire, said: “They’re not the sort of people to get in trouble, but they have had problems in the past because they stand out.”

Later, while sentencing the attackers, Judge Anthony Russell QC would call the incident “a hate crime against these completely harmless people targeted because their appearance was different to yours”.

Both Sophie and Robert were hospitalised after the attack. Robert’s injuries left him in a coma with internal bleeding, but he was eventually able to recover.

Sophie also fell into a deep coma and had to be placed on life support. After hospital staff said that she would never regain consciousness, she was taken off life support on 24 August 2007.

In a statement, Sophie’s parents, John and Sylvia, said: “We were proud to know our daughter. She was funny, kind, loving and brave.

“She was a beautiful girl with a social conscience and values which made her a joy to know. Not being able to see her blossom into her full potential or even to see her smile again is a tragedy beyond words.”

Following her death, Sylvia set up the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, a charity whose objectives are to “create a lasting legacy to Sophie”, “provide educational group-works that will challenge the prejudice and intolerance towards people from alternative subcultures” and “to campaign to have the UK Hate Crime legislation extended to include people from alternative subcultures”.

Who phoned 999?

The authorities were called by a 14-year-old girl who witnessed the attack and who was on the phone when it was still taking place.

During the trial, the Preston Crown Court heard extracts from the 999 call.

The young girl said: “We need, we need an ambulance at Bacup Park, this mosher’s just been banged because he’s a mosher. We need an ambulance at Bacup Park quick on the skate park.”

She added that an ambulance was required because Robert was “lying on the floor not even breathing”.

In the background of the recording, two teenage male friends of the girl could be heard trying to stop the attack.

An unknown voice can be heard saying: “What you standing about, he’s on the floor man, he’s practically f**king dead - kicking his head in.”

The girl then tells the operator that Sophie has also been attacked.

“His girlfriend is on the floor as well,” she said. “They’re still breathing but they are full of blood.

“Please, just send an ambulance quick, she’s choking on her blood, please will you help us quick?”

What has Robert Maltby said about the attack?

Speaking to the Guardian in 2017, Maltby opened up about the attack in his first full interview, 10 years after it took place.

Talking about Sophie’s public funeral, which more than 300 people attended, as well as TV news crews, he said: “My initial memory was seeing the coffin and thinking, that’s too small.

“Her entire life shouldn’t have fitted into that small box. That’s when I began to crumble. And I’ll be honest, I was resentful of the fact that so many people were there.

“They had the best intentions, but I was thinking, “Did you ever eat a meal with her? Did you know how she took her coffee? You just saw this archetype on the news. You didn’t know her”.”

Robert also said that the media focus on their appearance in the aftermath of the attack felt akin to victim-blaming.

He said: “I have never seen it as a hate crime. It was always like, “Sophie Lancaster was killed because she was a goth”.

“No, she wasn’t. She was killed because some a**eholes killed her.

“Why can’t we ask what it is about them that made them want to murder someone? Not what it is about someone that made them be murdered.”

What was Ryan Herbert sentenced to?

Herbert was given a life sentenced after he admitted to the murder of Sophie Lancaster, and was also given a minimum term of 16 years and three months after he pleaded guilty to assault causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Robert Maltby.

Harris, who pleaded not guilty to murder, was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison, with the recommendation that he serve at least 18 years.

The three others involved in the attack all previously pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm with intent on Robert, but had their murder charges dropped.

Two were sentenced for five years and 10 months each, and the other to four years and four months.

When passing the sentence, Judge Anthony Russell QC described the attack as “feral thuggery” which raised serious questions about “the sort of society which exists in this country”.

He added: “This is a terrible case which has shocked and outraged all who have heard about it.

“At least wild animals, when they hunt in packs, have legitimate reason for so doing, to obtain food.

“You have none and your behaviour on that night degrades humanity itself.”

After the hearing, Chief Crown Prosecutor for Lancashire Robert Marshall said: "Very occasionally, in spite of all the tragic and distressing cases that the CPS has to deal with, we come across a case that stands out as truly shocking.

"The murder of Sophie Lancaster and the vicious attack on her boyfriend Robert Maltby stand out for their utter pointlessness and sheer brutality.

"Worse still, it seems very likely that the attack started as a form of amusement for those involved."

Why is Ryan Herbert being released?

In 2020, Herbert had his tariff cut to 14-and-a-half years when a High Court judge concluded he had made “exceptional progress” in jail.

The Parole Board found he had made “significant changes to his life which reflected his remorse, his insight and increased maturity”.

“After considering the circumstances of his offending and examining the evidence for the progress made while in custody, the panel was satisfied that Mr Herbert was suitable for release,” a document setting out the decision said.

Herbert’s behaviour behind bars had “initially been poor” but this changed once he moved into an adult prison and he had taken part in rehabilitation programmes.

After being moved into an open prison in November 2020, he “improved his education with studies to degree level” and had “fully engaged with resettlement activities” including spending time on temporary release from jail.

He had a job and there was “positive feedback about his work”.

The document added: “No concerns about compliance had been identified and Mr Herbert had good working relationships with professional staff.”

Witnesses, including his probation officer, recommended he be released on licence. Herbert, who became eligible for release in February, will be subject to restrictions on his movements, where he lives and who he contacts.

What has Sophie Lancaster’s family said?

Following the news that Herbert is set to be released from prison, Sylvia Lancaster released a statement via the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, prior to her sudden passing.

At the time, she said: “I’m obviously very disappointed in the result of the parole hearing. 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. The judge at the murder trial described the attack on Sophie as ‘feral’, with the attackers’ behaviour ‘savage and merciless’.

“Her injuries were so severe, the paramedics attending the scene could not facially distinguish if she were male or female.

“How can you bear knowing the reality of the level of violence my daughter was subjected to, and stack that up against reducing the minimum tariff because they have done well in prison?

“However they have progressed, the minimum justice for the family is them serving the sentence they were given. Her attackers may not have been given a life sentence, but I have.”

It was announced by the Sophie Lancaster Foundation that Sylvia passed away on Tuesday (12 April) morning.

The foundation said that she had “suffered from ill health for the last couple of years”.

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