The devastated family of murdered Ayrshire teenager Michelle Stewart say they are “gutted” after learning her killer has been granted parole.
John Wilson was given a life sentence after he ambushed his ex-girlfriend, 17-year-old Michelle, and stabbed her to death in Drongan in 2008.
On Wednesday, the family, which launched Michelle’s Law campaign group to strengthen rights for victims of crime and their families, said they had received confirmation he had been granted parole after serving 16 years behind bars.
Michelle’s determined family have fought tirelessly to keep Wilson behind bars, saying “he has not shown any remorse for what he has done”.
Speaking to Ayrshire Live, Michelle’s sister Lisa Stewart said she was “100 per cent” confident that Wilson would reoffend as he is “not somebody who is safe to be released”.
Lisa said: “We are really disappointed. It was expected, we knew it was going to come sooner or later.
“It doesn’t matter how much you prepare yourself for it. I think I feel quite numb to it. Gutted would be the word.
“He’s going to be free to get on with his life now and Michelle’s not. Michelle’s lying in a cemetery.
“In the report we’ve had, he hasn’t shown any remorse for what he did to Michelle. That’s not somebody who is rehabilitated, that’s not somebody who is safe to be released back into the community.
“We don’t get information on how they’ve managed to reach a decision that he’s safe. Maybe that’s a change that is needed within the parole system so that there is a wee bit more clarification and transparency.
“When he has not shown any remorse for what he has done, he is still justifying in his head that what he did to Michelle was the right thing to do.
“He will reoffend, 100 per cent he will reoffend. Hopefully it’s not to the same extent but I give him three months and he’ll be recalled back again.
“Someone with his mindset isn’t going to come out and live on the straight and narrow and be a law abiding citizen.”
Michelle was minutes away from her home in Drongan when ex-boyfriend Wilson, who was 20 at the time, ambushed her and carried out his brutal attack – stabbing her 10 times with a 10-inch blade – in front of her friends.
Michelle’s brother Kenny Jnr, a nurse, performed CPR on her at the scene in a desperate attempt to save his sister.
Wilson went on the run and was caught just hours later. He pleaded guilty to the murder in March 2009 and was sentenced to serve 12 years minimum jail time, discounted from 16 years due to his guilty plea.
He was last denied parole in December 2023 before again appearing before the Parole Board in September 2024.
The Stewart family have tirelessly campaigned to see Michelle’s Law introduced which would see changes to the justice system, including the setting up of ‘exclusion zones’ upon an offender’s release, prompted by Wilson being spotted in and around Ayr numerous times while on supervised leave since 2018.
They have previously shared their anguish of bumping into Wilson when working or socialising if he is released.
Lisa said: “I’m going to email for more information but the exclusion zones of North, South and East Ayrshire have been applied.
“I’m seeking further clarification on how they are going to monitor that. We have asked for electronic tagging so that the license conditions could be monitored.
“The campaign for Michelle’s Law will still go on. There is definitely an imbalance in the justice system. With every hearing that comes, it becomes more apparent.
“Yesterday, we knew the hearing was starting at 1.30pm but we had literally no word by 4.30pm and I had to phone and chase up.
“It is really unfair because you are sitting there, your life on hold, waiting to hear the outcome of this decision. This was supposed to just be a decision hearing and seemed to take as long, if not longer, than a full hearing.
“When the hearing took place on September 25, we weren’t given any information as to why they couldn’t reach a decision that day other than that they were seeking more information.
“We are kept in the dark with what is going on. There have been slight changes to the parole system since the Michelle’s law campaign started where they’ve made it a little more transparent. It still doesn’t give you an awful lot of information.
“We will definitely be pushing forward with the campaign to push for a more balanced justice system.”
The Parole Board for Scotland has been contacted for comment.
Don’t miss the latest Ayrshire headlines –sign up to our free daily newsletter