It was 2005 when Steven Gallant had been sentenced to 17 years in prison for the murder of a fireman in the city of Hull. In November last year, the 42-year-old Briton was enjoying his first day of probation, when he suddenly became a hero.
It all happened at London Bridge on Friday the 29th, the day that Usman Khan attacked several people with a knife. The 28-year-old, who had been arrested for terrorist practices, was eventually confronted by Steven Gallant, who courageously helped to stop the attacker.
Steve Gallant was praised for risking his life and now he can see his sentence reduced by ten months, through a real pardon, with the possibility of asking for parole until next June.
Queen Elizabeth II was advised to pardon Gallant’s crime, as the convict’s “exceptionally courageous actions” contributed to saving many lives.
The case is made more extraordinary because it is a rare example of reduced sentence to be applied to a murderer in the United Kingdom. Even more impressively, the firefighter’s own family killed by Steven Gallant supports the decision to release the murderer earlier.
The victim’s son confesses to having “mixed emotions, but what happened at the London Bridge shows that, in fact, people can change”, adding that he does not rule out the possibility of meeting the father’s killer in the future.
Steven Gallant’s lawyer has said that his client “feels a debt of gratitude to all those who helped him to obtain a real forgiveness of mercy”, stressing that Steven is currently “passionate about using his knowledge and experience to help others people”.
–
