A YORK survivor of the Selby rail crash today reacted furiously to news that the man who triggered the disaster will be freed from jail next month.

The Evening Press exclusively revealed in later editions yesterday that Gary Hart will be released within weeks.

The 40-year-old, of Strubby, Lincs, will have served half of a five-year sentence he received in January 2001 after being convicted of ten counts of causing death by dangerous driving.

Letters have been sent to the families of those who died informing them of the Parole Board's decision.

Today survivor Mark Russell branded the decision an "absolute travesty".

He told the Evening Press: "It's an absolute travesty of the law that he gets out in less than three years."

Mr Russell, a passenger on the fateful GNER train that crashed at Great Heck in February 2001, works as a train conductor for First TransPennine.

He escaped with leg and back injuries after the London-bound express crashed into Hart's Land Rover, after it plunged off the M62, before veering into an oncoming coal train. Ten men were killed and 70 people injured.

The 40-year-old, of Monkgate, said: "If he had apologised it would have gone a long way to me changing my opinion of him, but he has never done that."

Mr Russell continued: "The families of the people who died will probably never recover, yet he'll be coming out of prison and carrying on as normal."

Once released from jail, Hart is expected to return to the Lincolnshire area, and will remain on licence and under supervision until October 2005.

Margitta Needham, from Pocklington, whose husband Barry died in the crash, yesterday said she was "speechless" about news of Hart's impending freedom.

A Home Office spokeswoman said it did not comment on individual offenders.

But she said: "Offenders sentenced to a minimum four years in prison may apply for parole at the halfway point of their sentence.

"The Parole Board decision is based on information provided by the relevant authorities and that includes the prison and probation services and a personal hearing, if the offender requests one."

The spokeswoman said the Parole Board is entirely independent from the Home Office.

Updated: 10:06 Thursday, June 17, 2004