THE father of murdered schoolboy Ben Bellamy says the man who stole the teenager's bank card just before he was killed is evil and should not be allowed to walk the streets.

John Bellamy has also condemned the probation service for not living up to its promise to inform the family if Andrew Rafferty succeeded with his parole application.

He said the first he knew Rafferty was out of prison was when he saw it on the front page of yesterday's Evening Post.

Rafferty's release will be on licence, and he is subject to recall.

But Mr Bellamy's opinion of him is damning.

He said: "He does not deserve to walk the streets. He lost his human rights that night on the seafront.

"He had no regard for my son's life and I have none for his.

"I am disgusted that the original sentence for manslaughter was overturned for robbery. Now he is free he has a criminal record as a street robber but he was a lot more than that.

"He is an evil person."

Ben, from Sketty Park, a 17-year-old Olchfa pupil, drowned in Swansea Bay after being beaten up on the foreshore near the Cenotaph, five years ago this month.

Joel Taylor, formerly of Taliesyn Road, Townhill, and Joshua Thomas, formerly of Llewellyn Road, Penllergaer, were found guilty of his murder and jailed for life.

Taylor and Thomas put Ben in the sea at 5am after stripping him to create the impression he had drunkenly gone for a swim.

That took place when Rafferty had left the scene to try to use the debit card stolen from their victim.

Rafferty, now thought to be 22 years old, and formerly of Humphrey Street, Mount Pleasant, was made the subject of an indeterminate sentence of custody after being found guilty in 2006 by a jury at Swansea Crown Court of unlawfully killing Ben.

Cleared of murder, he was told he would have to serve at least five years behind bars for manslaughter before becoming eligible to apply for release on parole.

But the following year, after overturning the manslaughter charge, Lord Justice Hooper also quashed the indeterminate sentence at the Court of Appeal. He replaced it with a seven-year sentence with an extended licence period of 10 years.

That meant Rafferty could apply for release at the half way point, after serving three-and- a-half years.

During the trial, he pleaded guilty to robbing Ben of his debit card, but was not sentenced separately for this.

The Court of Appeal considered whether he was criminally liable for events that took place after he left the scene.

Mr Bellamy, aged 42, and living in Gendros, said he had been assured by the probation service the family would be told if Rafferty had been granted parole.

He told the Post he would now have to break the news to his former partner, Ben's mother Tracy, who was on holiday, as well as Ben's brother Karl.

"I knew he was up for parole but I didn't know he had been granted it," said Mr Bellamy.

"I thought I would have some prior warning but I was not told anything.

"If I knew it had happened I would have at least been prepared. But I only found out when I saw it on the front page of the Evening Post. I was devastated.

"I jumped into the van to go to work. When I saw the front page I just got back out. I couldn't face going to work."

paul.lewis@swwmedia.co.uk