Wreaths laid in tribute to May Massey, who loved her twice weekly visits to bingo halls (top), and pictured with her son John

Published: 1 November, 2012
by DAN CARRIER

JOHN Massey, one of Britain’s longest serving prisoners, was denied the chance last week of attending his mother’s funeral – as he is deemed to be a high-level escape risk by prison authorities.

Massey, who was convicted in 1976 of the murder of pub bouncer Charlie Higgins, had hoped to be allowed out for a day to be at a service for his mother, May, who died two weeks ago, aged 86.

But due to his record of escapes, prison authorities did not allow him to be at the service, held at the St Pancras Cemetery in East Finchley on Friday.
Instead, the family employed a film-maker to capture the moving service so he could watch it from his prison cell.

John Massey was recently transferred from the high-security Belmarsh prison in south-east London to Franklin in County Durham. According to his family, the prison contacted them asking for details of the funeral, raising hopes he would be allowed out for the day under guard to say goodbye to his mum.

But due to his record of breaking the terms of his parole to see his father on his deathbed in 2007, the request was denied.

The Ministry of Justice say they will not comment on individual cases but that every request is taken on its merit and such visits are based on the individual’s prison record.

John, who has escaped or broken parole on four occasions, is seen as being a “high risk” of escape. He embarrassed prison authorities in June when he clambered over 40ft-high walls at Pentonville to rush to his ailing mother’s bedside. He was on the run for nearly a week after breaking out and spending time with her at a care home.

His sister Jane said: “John was absolutely heartbroken by this. He wanted the chance to say goodbye and it was refused.
“They could have handcuffed him to a warden, surrounded him with guards, and just let him be there. It was heartless.

“He shouldn’t be in prison now anyway – he has served his time and is no danger to anyone. To deny him the chance to say goodbye to his mother in person is unbelievably heartless.”

The family managed to contact John by telephone at a wake held at the Lord Southampton in Grafton Terrace, Gospel Oak, afterwards so that he could briefly speak to family members and share in their grief.

Mr Massey missed a poignant service where May’s life was celebrated by her friends, family and neighbours: she lived in Castle Road, Kentish Town for many years and as the cortege left the street where she had raised her family, neighbours came out to say goodbye, as did workers from Buttles Woodyard, for whom she would bake cakes.

The service recalled her love of baking cakes each week, making bread puddings and apple tarts and taking them to neighbours. Her love of dancing to Elvis was recalled, as was her twice weekly visits to bingo halls.

Her daughter Jane remembered her taking the family each year to Butlins at Bognor Regis. She said: “As kids, we’d all be put in the back of an old Evening News van. There were no seatbelts so they’d strap us to a mattress in the back – and we’d sit in darkness till we got there.

"Mum would enter every competition she could – we once had her dressed up as a punk rocker – and she would hope to win a free week for the following year.

"I remember once when she entered a competition when she had to re-enact the last scene in the film Basic Instinct – the poor Redcoats didn’t know what had hit them.”

The family are campaigning to have Massey’s case reviewed by the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office and seek a hearing to allow him to live at his sister’s house under new parole terms.