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The convicted murderer who heroically risked his life to stop London Bridge terrorist Usman Khan with a narwhal tusk has received pardon from the Queen.
The Royal Prerogative of Mercy granted by His Majesty on the advice of his Government is unprecedented for an imprisoned murderer.
It means the 42-year-old Gallant will have 10 months removed from the 17-year sentence imposed on him in 2005, and now he could appear before a Board of Parole next June to seal his release.
The Justice Ministry confirmed that the decision was made as a result of Gallant’s “exceptionally courageous actions”.
The move could have sparked controversy, but because of the immense dignity of the family of firefighter Barrie Jackson, whom Gallant beat to death outside a pub, the decision to release the killer early has been backed by his victim’s family.
Jackson’s student son Jack, 21, said yesterday: “I have mixed emotions, but what happened on London Bridge demonstrates the reality that people can change.” He even said that he might be willing to meet his father’s killer one day.
Gallant was on his first day of release at a Learning Together conference organized to help rehabilitate prisoners when the attack took place last November.
He was at Fishmongers Hall next to London Bridge along with his former mentor, friend and prison conference coordinator Jack Merritt, 25.
Convicted terrorist Khan, 28, had also been invited to the event as a licensed rehab felon, despite being jailed in 2012 for plotting to bomb the London Stock Exchange.
After Khan pulled out two knives and went insane killing Jack and fellow coordinator Saskia Jones, 23, both Cambridge graduates, Gallant was given a five-foot ornamental narwhal tusk from a wall by a civil servant David. Frost to use as a weapon.
He chased the terrorist to the bridge where Khan was shot dead by police. Gallant later said he “did not hesitate” to take on Khan.
In a statement he said: “I realized that something was wrong and I had to help. I saw injured people. Khan was in the hall with two large knives in his hands. He was a clear danger to everyone. “
Last night Jack’s father David, 55, of Cottenham in Cambridgeshire, said: “Steve fully deserves this pardon or sentence reduction. It’s fantastic.
“He was very close to Jack and he changed his life and reformed. I’m very happy for him. “
The two had previously met through Jack’s role in the rehabilitation service Learning Together in 2016.
He mentored Gallant behind bars. Gallant described him as a “role model and friend.”
Referring to his murder conviction, Gallant said: “It is true that I was given a severe penalty for my actions. Once I accepted my punishment, I decided to seek help. When you go to jail, you lose control of your life.
“Getting better becomes one of the few things you can do while reducing the burden on society.”
Now he’s been given a rare second chance.
Last night, a Ministry of Justice official confirmed that Gallant had been granted a pardon.
He said it was “in recognition of his exceptionally courageous actions … that he helped save people’s lives despite the tremendous risk he was taking.”
The last murderer to receive a royal pardon was nearly 25 years ago when former IRA leader and police informant Sean O’Callaghan, who died in 2017, was freed.
The highest-profile royal pardon was posthumously awarded to Alan Turing in 2013, overturning the wartime codebreaker’s 1952 gross indecency conviction for a then-illegal homosexual relationship.
Royal insiders say the Queen “acts on the advice of Her Majesty’s Government” in approving such pardons.
Yesterday, the son of Gallant’s victim, Jack, said he had “no idea of forgiveness” for his father’s killer.
Gallant had been in a gang that beat his father Barrie to death outside The Dolphin pub in Hull in April 2005. It was so savage that paramedics trying to revive him could not find his mouth.
A court heard that Gallant planned the assault believing that Barrie had attacked his girlfriend eight days earlier.
Jack said: “In my opinion, Gallant has almost served his sentence and if someone has undergone rehab and change, which they seem to have done, then it’s fair enough. Every time her name is mentioned it brings back memories to me, my brother and my mother, but it happened years ago. He was four years old at the time. ”
When asked if he would consider meeting Gallant, Jack said, “Maybe. I wouldn’t rule it out. “
Last night, Gallant spoke through his attorney, Neil Hudgell, who said: “Steve owes a debt of gratitude to all those who helped him achieve a Royal Prerogative of Mercy.
“He is passionate about using his knowledge and experiences to help others get away from crime.”
A spokesman for the Justice Ministry said: “The Lord Chancellor has granted Steven Gallant a Royal Prerogative of Mercy reducing his 10-month minimum fee in recognition of his exceptionally courageous actions at Fishmongers’ Hall, which helped save people’s lives despite the tremendous risk he took. ”.
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