Who is Colin Stacey and where is he now?
COLIN STACEY was convicted of murder after an argument turned into violence.
Stacey has been in prison since 1999 for the killing, but what else do we know about him?
Who is Colin Stacey?
Colin Stacey is a convicted murderer who was jailed in 1999 for the brutal beating of a man he had an argument with over football.
He is the first subject of a 2023 BBC Two documentary called Parole, which explores the process of offenders attempting to gain early release from jail.
Who did Colin Stacey murder?
In 1997, Stacey murdered Leigh Shaw in a football related incident.
Brighton and Hove Albion fan Stacey kicked Shaw to death as he was a West Ham United supporter.
They had been arguing about the sport earlier in the day.
Shaw died of severe head injuries 24 hours after the incident in Whitehawk, East Sussex.
Where is Colin Stacey now?
Stacey explained why he should be freed on the documentary, saying: “I’m not the same person I was 25 years ago.
“I’m a lot older, a lot more mature, I know the consequences of my actions — I should be released, without a doubt.”
Stacey was among around 16,000 criminals seeking parole in 2022.
Stacey previously got parole in 2017 but was put back in jail after a fight.
The BBC series shows how he must convince a two-person Parole Board he has tackled his anger.
What has been said about Colin Stacey?
The widow of Leigh Shaw disagrees with Stacey’s claim that he is a different person, and should remain in custody.
She said: “To me, the right decision would be to keep him locked up… a life is a life.”
The opening instalment of Parole weaves the story of Stacey with that of another man, convicted fraudster David Coombs, who was jailed in 2017.
Detective Chief Inspector at the time, George Smith, who headed the inquiry, said after the trial in 1999: “The murder was a tragedy for the estate as well as the Shaw family.”