Two alleged leading members of Parkside have been granted early release from prison after the Parole Board wasn’t told of their gang ties.Jahkiel Samuels and Prince Edness were jailed for separate violent offences but are now back in the community on parole after serving just a third of their sentences behind bars, The Royal Gazette has learned.They applied for release at the earliest available opportunity and were allowed out of Westgate by the Parole Board, which takes into account reports on inmates submitted by the Departments of Corrections and Court Services.William Francis, legal advisor to the Parole Board, told this newspaper no mention of either offender’s connection to the Pembroke gang was made in the paperwork given to board members.“There was not a shred, not a single word, in the documents before us that mentioned anything about any gang affiliation for either of those,” he said. “Not a word that’s definite.”Emphasising he was speaking only for himself, the former Senior Magistrate said: “I know nothing about these fellows having any gang affiliations. I didn’t know who they were, other than what was in the documents before me.“If police or Court Services or whoever wants to make it known to us, then they have got to do it in such a way that the evidence or word gets to us.“They can’t blame the Parole Board [or suggest] that somehow the Parole Board should have heard by rumour or some other thing.”Commissioner of Police Michael DeSilva said Bermuda Police Service shared information with Corrections and Court Services, as well as other agencies, on the dangers posed by offenders but did not have a similar arrangement with the Parole Board.“The parole process does not involve the police,” he said. “The Bermuda Police Service is certainly willing to assist and make a meaningful contribution to the process if we are asked to participate.”Samuels, 26, of Princess Street, Hamilton, was convicted in March 2010 of robbery using force and assault causing bodily harm to a 30-year-old man.He was jailed for three years in November, when Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner described the gang robbery as a “particularly vicious offence”.Samuels has been referred to as a “very high-ranking” Parkside member by police giving evidence in Supreme Court. Gang expert Sergeant Alex Rollin described him as a “shot-caller” in March this year.He was released from Westgate in July and is understood to have travelled home to Spanish Point from Dockyard on a jet ski, allegedly to avoid entering Somerset gang territory.Edness, of St John’s Road, Pembroke, was locked up for two years in March after he admitted assaulting and threatening his female cousin.The 25-year-old pushed and slapped his victim and threw a drink over her during a confrontation at Captain’s Lounge. He later tried to get her to drop charges against him.The cousin, in the victim impact statement read out at Magistrates’ Court, said Edness was a “very respected individual in the Parkside gang”. Edness has been shot twice in recent years and has been named by Sgt Rollin as a top Parkside member.Attorney General and Justice Minister Michael Scott is responsible for the Parole Board and can direct it on policy, if he deems it necessary in the public interest.He didn’t respond to questions from this newspaper, nor did the Department of Court Services.Commissioner of Corrections Edward Lamb said: “The decision as to whether or not an inmate is granted parole lies completely within the remit of the Parole Board and this involves a number of factors that are carefully considered.“It would be highly injudicious of us to comment on the decisions made by the Parole Board, whether that be on policies in general or any inmate in particular.”Parole Board chairman David Burch said: “I have discussed these matters with the Minister of Justice at his request.“Eligibility for parole is a matter of law and the board is guided by the law specifically The Parole Board Act 2001.“The conditions attached to the release of any inmate on parole are based on the circumstances of each individual case.“The board acts on the basis of the information available and in accordance with the law in every case.”Lieutenant Colonel Burch, who resigned as National Security Minister in April, added: “If changes to the law or the manner in which the board discharges its functions are required, I am confident that the Minister of Justice will address them.”He did not answer a question about whether he was aware of the men’s gang links.Lawyer Charles Richardson acted for Samuels when he unsuccessfully appealed his jail term in March. Mr Richardson said he’d had no contact with his client since and could not answer questions about his release.Shade Subair, who represents Edness, said yesterday: “I’m not instructed to convey any comment to you about that.”Useful website: www.bermudalaws.bm.