Surrey MP: "It's ridiculous, he didn't murder anyone and yet he's been convicted of murder"
Alex Henry from Guildford has served 10 years of a 19 year sentence for murder under joint enterprise
Last updated 7th Nov 2025
Guildford MP Zoe Franklin is campaigning for the release of Alex Henry, who is currently serving time for a murder he didn't commit.
Alex Henry from Guildford was involved in a group confrontation, where he threw a punch, then ran off before his friend fatally stabbed someone
He's served 10 years of a 19 year sentence for murder under joint enterprise.
Zoe Franklin has described the situation as ridiculous
"It's frankly ridiculous that Alex finds himself in that situation. He didn't murder anyone and yet he has been convicted for murder and is serving time in prison for it."
Zoe Franklin is calling for two changes to the government's sentencing bill which she said would create a fair route for people to appeal against those sentences.
She says that she is optimistic about campaign potentially being successful
"I'm an optimist by nature and so I think we have an opportunity here because of the sentencing bill. So I'm grasping it with both hands.
I hope we can bring change, but equally I know how long the family has been fighting for this and so I also want to sort of temper that that optimisms, but never say never with these things"
Franklin adds however that the family has been keeping a delicate balance between optimism and expectation as she says they have been consistently let down.
"Alex's sister is my constituent and he is the person who brought it to my attention and I'm really proud to work with her.
They've been through so much and each time it sort of comes back around and someone like myself, when an MP tries to raise the profile, tries to get the change, they so far have been disappointed and so it's a balance for them.
They really desperately want to see change, but I think they're also trying to balance their emotions."
Franklin says that seeing this has made her all the more determined to get change through
"It's why I'm so desperate for the government to actually step in and do what they said he would do. This could be the times where actually they're not disappointed that the Alex is able to get his case reviewed."
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said the following:
"We are aware of concerns that these prosecutions may disproportionately affect some communities. However, it is important that those who do commit crimes are brought to justice. We will continue to keep this matter under review."