© Tom Blewitt & Zack Griffiths – Predator Awareness

Will Styles, the governor involved in the management of terrorist Usman Khan before the 2019 Fishmongers’ Hall attack, is now facing intense scrutiny over the crisis unfolding at HMP Parc, where he has served as director since June 2024. Campaigners say the problems at the G4S‑run prison have escalated dramatically under his leadership, raising serious questions about his judgement, his record, and his continued suitability for the role.

Styles became a controversial figure during the inquest into the deaths of Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones, where he defended his earlier belief that Khan was a “success story” of the Learning Together programme. Critics argued that Styles had been overly optimistic, too trusting, and insufficiently alert to the risks posed by a high‑risk extremist who later carried out a deadly attack.

Now, years later, campaigners say the same pattern of misjudgement is visible at HMP Parc. Since Styles’ appointment in June 2024, twenty people have died in custody at the prison. In total, forty‑five deaths have occurred at Parc since the start of 2022, giving the facility the highest death rate in the entire UK prison estate. Families, staff, and advocacy groups say the situation is spiralling out of control.

Violence, drug availability, and instability have all surged. Parc has long faced criticism, but campaigners argue that the scale of the crisis under Styles marks a new and dangerous low point. They say the leadership has failed to get a grip on the problems, and that G4S has shown no willingness to intervene despite the mounting death toll.

For many, the connection between Styles’ past and present roles is impossible to ignore. They argue that the same flawed decision‑making that led him to champion Usman Khan as a rehabilitative success is now reflected in his inability to stabilise one of the most troubled prisons in the country. Critics say that while Styles talks about hope, motivation, and rehabilitation, the reality inside Parc is one of violence, drugs, and preventable deaths.

A spokesperson for Predator Awareness / HMP Prisons Justice Group said:

“This proves that Will Styles’ decision making is absolutely shocking. In any other job he would have been sacked, so why is G4S so hell bent on keeping him in his role?

Not only that, drugs and violence are out of control. Twenty deaths under his watch is shocking, and that alone should result in his sacking.

What does Will Styles have over G4S? Because for him to still have a job is outrageous. Will Styles must go. Enough is enough.”

Campaigners say the numbers speak for themselves. They argue that no director could preside over this level of loss of life and still retain their position unless the system protecting them is fundamentally broken. For them, the crisis at Parc is not just a failure of leadership but a failure of accountability within the private prison model.

As pressure builds, G4S has remained silent on whether any action will be taken. But for those calling for change, the situation is already clear: the deaths, the violence, and the chaos at Parc demand responsibility. And in their view, that responsibility starts at the top.