UK Work and Pensions Secretary Considers Ending Benefits for Offenders in Psychiatric Hospitals

The UK government, led by Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden, is considering changes to the benefits system to stop offenders detained in psychiatric hospitals from receiving benefits. This initiative follows lobbying efforts by Linda Westcarr and her uncle after the murder of Kennedi Westcarr-Sabaroche by her boyfriend, Gogoa Lois Tape, who was detained under a hospital order due to diminished responsibility linked to mental illness. McFadden expressed sympathy for the family and commitment to closing loopholes that allow offenders like Tape and Valdo Calocane—who also committed manslaughter and was detained under similar circumstances—to claim benefits. Linda Westcarr has called for the implementation of Jade's Law, which would suspend parental responsibility automatically for offenders who kill a partner or ex-partner with whom they share children. She emphasized that the justice system must prioritize victims and enact true systematic changes rather than offer mere sympathy. The government has yet to provide a formal response to these calls for reform.