A thug who brutally murdered Sophie Lancaster, a 20 year old woman who dressed as a goth, is hoping to be released from prison in the coming weeks. Brendan Harris was convicted of killing Sophie as she pleaded with a gang to stop assaulting her boyfriend.

He was sentenced to a minimum of 18 years in prison in 2008. Diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, Harris was moved to a psychiatric hospital but has since returned to a mainstream jail at the age of 33.

His parole hearing is scheduled for November, meaning he could be freed soon. Ryan Herbert, Harris's accomplice who was 16 at the time of the 2007 attack, was granted parole three years ago.

The parole board stated that Herbert, who confessed to the murder and received a 16-year sentence, had made "significant changes to his life" w

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