EXCLUSIVE: Havering Mother Hits Out as Machete Killer Could Walk Free After Serving Less Than a Year of 11-Year Sentence.

20th August 202620th August 2026 Francesca Lilleystone 0 Comments Early Release, Killer, Knife Crime, Machete, Sue Hedges min read

Bereaved mum Sue Hedges, whose son Ricky was killed in a machete attack, has launched a furious attack on the early-release system after Daejaun Campbell’s mother was told one of her son’s killers could be released early.

“If they’ve done the crime, they should pay the time.”

Those are the words of Sue Hedges, a bereaved mother who knows only too well what it is like to lose a child to knife and machete violence and then have to fight the justice system all over again.

Sue lost her son Ricky Hayden in a machete attack.

She has previously had to fight against the early release of one of Ricky’s killers and says she now stands firmly behind Daejaun Campbell’s mother, Jodian Taylor, who has been left devastated after being told that one of the men convicted over her 15-year-old son’s death could be released from prison early.

Marko Balaz, 19, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for manslaughter following Daejaun’s death.

Now, less than a year after Balaz was sentenced, his mother has reportedly been informed by the Probation Service that changes to the law could affect his sentence and make him eligible for early release.

For Sue, it is another devastating blow for a bereaved family.

“It’s disgusting and I can’t see how the Government cannot step in,” Sue said.

“To be honest, we are the forgotten families. It’s all about the offenders.”

And Sue is speaking from painful personal experience.

She knows what it is like to sit through a court case, hear a sentence handed down and believe that justice has finally been served — only to later find herself having to fight again over the possibility of a killer being released.

“I had to fight one of Ricky’s killers from getting parole,” she said.

“I understand what she is feeling. I have had to fight against the early parole of one of my son’s killers.”

Sue says the families of victims should not be expected to repeatedly fight for the punishment imposed by a court to mean what they believed it meant.

“If they’ve done the crime, they should pay the time,” she said.

“They should not get early release. Who takes our feelings into consideration? Who helps us? Who hears us?”

Her anger comes as questions continue to surround the future of Marko Balaz.

Balaz was 19 when he was sentenced at the Old Bailey in October 2025 over the death of Daejaun Campbell.

Daejaun was just 15 years old when he was fatally stabbed in Woolwich on 22 September 2024.

The court heard that Daejaun was attacked in broad daylight.

The sentencing judge said his fatal wounds were inflicted by Imri Doue using a large machete.

Daejaun’s death sent shockwaves through the community.

During the attack, the teenager was heard crying:

“I’m 15, don’t let me die.”

His mother Jodian later faced her son’s killers in court and spoke about the devastation caused by knife crime.

She described Daejaun as a “true character” who was playful, cheeky and hoping to make a new start.

According to recent reporting, Jodian was informed by the Probation Service in June that changes to the law could affect Balaz’s sentence.

She said the possibility of his early release felt like another devastating blow after losing her son.

And Sue says she completely understands that pain.

“They went to court, got charged and jailed. There should not be an early release,” she said.

“Of course they should be kept inside.”

Sue says bereaved families are being left to pick up the pieces while decisions about offenders continue to dominate the conversation.

“This Government have promised this, promised that, then do not do it and then say they can’t intervene,” she said.

“Us families are still living without our loved ones and are getting a regular kick in the teeth. Another one goes free.”

She believes bereaved parents are repeatedly left feeling powerless.

“Bereaved parents always come worse off,” she said.

“Our voices mean nothing. It’s not fair on us. It’s not fair on our society.”

Sue says she cannot understand how someone convicted in a fatal knife or machete attack can potentially return to the community while the family of the victim is left to live with the consequences forever.

“These individuals are dangerous. They kill with knives or machetes. How can we allow them back on our street?”

She says families should not simply be expected to accept the situation.

“We have to grin and bear it after watching all these people killing children. It’s awful.”

‘WE ARE THE FORGOTTEN PEOPLE’

Sue’s message is ultimately about the families left behind.

The prison sentence may have an end date.

Their grief does not.

“There is no justice for bereaved families,” she said.

“We really are forgotten.”

And as Jodian continues to grieve for her 15-year-old son, she is now facing the possibility that one of the men convicted over his death could return to the community far earlier than she ever expected.

For Sue, that is why bereaved families must be heard.

“Who takes our feelings into consideration?”

“Who helps us?”

“Who hears us?”

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