The convicted murderer who grabbed a narwhal tusk to help foil a terror attack on London Bridge last November will see his sentence cut following an intervention by the Queen.
Steven Gallant, 42, was on day release at an event for reformed prisoners in Fishmonger’s Hall when Usman Khan began a rampage, that left two people dead.
Jack Merrit, 25, and 23-year-old Saskia Jones – both instructors in the Learning Together scheme to help prisoners access education – were killed, while several others were wounded.
It was Gallant’s first time out on day leave after being jailed for life with a minimum term of 17 years in 2005 for the murder of a firefighter in Hull.
He helped restrain Khan, who was wearing a fake suicide vest and armed with two knives, before the terrorist was shot dead by police.
The Ministry of Justice revealed on Saturday that the Queen had employed the little used “Royal Prerogative of Mercy” to bring Gallant’s case before the parole board 10 months early.
The final decision ultimately rests with the parole board, but it is highly unlikely Gallant will be denied his freedom.
It is understood he has been a model prisoner who has expressed remorse for his crimes and has not faced any punishment or loss of privileges for the past 10 years.
Gallant was one of two men convicted of the murder of Barrie Jackson, 33, who was beaten to death outside a pub in Hull.
Jackson’s student son Jack, 21, told the UK’s Daily Mirror: “In my mind, Gallant has nearly done his time and if someone has undergone rehabilitation and change, which it seems he has, then it’s fair enough.”
-with AAP
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