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| Russell Causley: Murderer in first public parole hearing released | Russell Causley: Murderer in first public parole hearing released |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Russell Causley married his wife Carole Packman in 1965 | Russell Causley married his wife Carole Packman in 1965 |
| A convicted murderer who was subject to the UK's first public parole hearing has been freed from prison, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed. | |
| Russell Causley murdered wife Carole Packman in Bournemouth in 1985 but has always refused to reveal the whereabouts of her body. | Russell Causley murdered wife Carole Packman in Bournemouth in 1985 but has always refused to reveal the whereabouts of her body. |
| The Parole Board confirmed the 79-year-old would be freed after he argued his case at a hearing in December. | The Parole Board confirmed the 79-year-old would be freed after he argued his case at a hearing in December. |
| It ruled his release no longer posed a significant risk to the wider public. | |
| Carole Packman disappeared in 1985, aged 40, and her body has never been found | |
| His parole hearing had made UK legal history, with the media and public invited to watch proceedings for the first time. | His parole hearing had made UK legal history, with the media and public invited to watch proceedings for the first time. |
| A panel of three parole judges were told how the former aviation engineer had initially been released in 2020 after serving 23 years of a life sentence - but was recalled to jail for breaking his licence conditions. | A panel of three parole judges were told how the former aviation engineer had initially been released in 2020 after serving 23 years of a life sentence - but was recalled to jail for breaking his licence conditions. |
| Causley admitted he had lost contact with his probation officers and failed to stay at his approved accommodation, something he put down to a "silly mistake". | |
| The hearing was told he had left his wallet and phone behind, only taking some cash and a towel with him for a trip to a beach in Portsmouth. | |
| Causley said he was mugged by three men during that trip and spent the night lying on the beach. He was later picked up by police and sent back to jail. | |
| Samantha Gillingham, Mrs Packman's daughter, addressed reporters outside the Parole Board's offices after the hearing | |
| Mrs Packman's daughter Samantha Gillingham told the BBC she believed the killer should remain behind bars until he admitted what he had done with her remains. | |
| But the Parole Board ruled Causley, who been an inmate at HMP Lewes, could be managed safely in the community, and the Ministry of Justice later confirmed it would not challenge the decision. | |
| Causley was only caught out as a killer eight years after his wife's disappearance. | |
| He had made a botched attempt to fake his own death as part of an elaborate insurance fraud and the subsequent police investigation led officers to evidence of the murder. | |
| Causley told the parole judges it was his ex-lover Patricia Causley, whose name he took, who carried out the killing. | |
| Causley was also jailed for fraud after a botched attempt to fake his own death | |
| However, he also admitted to being a "habitual liar" and the judges pointed out that "no credible evidence" was found against her after a police investigation. | |
| Causley will be subject to licence conditions, including being required to live at a certain address, as well as facing restrictions on his movements, activities and who he contacts. | |
| A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "We know this will be an incredibly difficult time for Carole Packman's family, but Russell Causley will be under close supervision for the rest of his life and can be recalled to prison if he breaches the strict conditions of his release. | |
| "Our parole reforms will stand up for the rights of victims in cases like this, making public safety the overriding factor in parole decisions and adding a ministerial veto on release of the most serious offenders." | |
| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Bournemouth | Bournemouth |