Wife-killer Russell Causley faces UK's first public parole hearing

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-62807664

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Russell Causley married his wife Carole Packman in 1965

The parole hearing of a man who killed his wife but never revealed where her body was will be the first in UK history to be heard in public.

Russell Causley, now 79, murdered Carole Packman in Bournemouth in 1985.

Causley was only brought to justice a decade later after he made a botched attempt to fake his own death as part of an elaborate insurance fraud.

The Parole Board confirmed Causley would now argue for his release during a hearing set to take place in October.

Carole Packman disappeared in 1985 aged 40 and her body has never been found

The hearing will take place at the Parole Board's offices in London, with Causley appearing on a remote live feed directly from prison.

Mrs Packman's daughter Samantha Gillingham, who has long-campaigned for Causley to remain behind bars, told the BBC it was a "momentous moment for my mother".

Changes in the law to allow public hearings to take place were introduced in July.

A spokesperson for the board confirmed Causley's would be the first - ahead of notorious killer Charles Bronson, who was the first person to request a public hearing.

Causley had been having regular parole hearings since becoming eligible for release in 2012.

He was freed in 2020, but was sent back to prison last year after breaching the terms of his licence.

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