One of the men convicted of the notorious “Essex Boys” murders will be released from prison on licence after 27 years.
Michael Steele, who is now in his 80s, was jailed for life in 1998, alongside Jack Whomes, for the murders of Patrick Tate, 37, Tony Tucker, 38, and Craig Rolfe, 26.
They were shot dead at point-blank range in a Range Rover on an isolated farm track at Rettendon, Essex, in December 1995 in what prosecutors said was a row over a drug deal.
The gangland executions, also known as the Rettendon Murders or the Range Rover Murders, inspired the 2000 film Essex Boys, starring Sean Bean, as well as The Rise Of The Footsoldier franchise.
All three of the victims were known to police.
Mr Tucker ran security for Raquels, the nightclub where Leah Betts had taken the ecstasy tablet that led to her death less than a month before the murders.
Steele and Whomes maintained their innocence following their convictions, which were based in part on the evidence of “supergrass” Darren Nicholls, who said he had been the getaway driver.
Their appeals were rejected and in 2006 Lord Justice Kay said there was no “element of unsafety” over the original convictions.
The case has also been reviewed by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) and a decision was made in January 2023 not to refer it back to the Court of Appeal.
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Whomes was released from jail in 2021 on strict licence conditions.
Steele, who was 55 when he was sentenced, has now also been released by the Parole Board.
After hearing evidence, it said there had been a “marked improvement” in his behaviour while in prison and keeping him locked up was no longer necessary to protect the public.
Steele will have to meet strict conditions such as staying at a designated address, attending probation appointments, giving up his passport and wearing an electronic tag.
