The uncle of a Dundee man jailed for brutal sex crimes has said his nephew must complete his jail sentence — but maintains lifelong restriction orders are unfair.
John McHugh said lifelong restriction deny hope to offenders that they will even be released from jail. He is hoping to gather support for a change in the law.
His nephew Kevin McFie was jailed for seven years in 2014 for rape and assault but was also given a lifelong restriction order—- a life sentence that will keep him behind bars as long as long as the Independent Parole Board believes he poses a risk to the public.
Mr McHugh believes that if life sentences are imposed, then this should be made clear to the offender at the time of sentencing.
He said he is not trying to free his nephew from prison but that the imposition of a lifelong restriction order is inhumane.
“The judge can’t give a seven-year sentence and then also one of these restriction orders.
“He (McFie) has to get on with his sentence but you can’t have it both ways.”
Mr McHugh said the lifelong restriction order is unfair on prisoners who may be trying to turn their lives around.
“You’ve got to give people some hope.
“I am trying to get like-minded people to contact me to start a campaign to try to get these restriction orders scrapped.”
McFie is currently locked up at Glenochil prison near Stirling.
The 34-year-old was caged for seven years at the High Court in Livingston in 2014 after being found guilty of two counts of rape and assault.
The court heard he bound and gagged the women, holding knives to their throats and threatening to kill them.
He was also found guilty of attacking a man in the street and pleaded guilty to possessing a Taser gun and assaulting former friend Chris Brookes.
The Scottish Government said lifelong restriction orders are a “valuable sentencing option for courts to use for higher risk offenders.”
