Killers who don’t give up a body ‘may still have get-out-of-jail card’

Warning new law doesn’t rule out possibility of parole if prisoners aren’t risk to public

KILLERS who refuse to reveal where they hid their victim’s body could still be freed from jail despite new laws introduced in a bid to deny them parole.

Parole Board chief executive Martin Jones made the warning ahead of Helen’s Law coming into force early next year.

Although prisoners will be questioned, and failure to cooperate may not work in their favour, the Parole Board must release them if it is decided they are no longer a risk to the public, according to Mr Jones.

He said: “This is a really difficult area. It’s described as ‘ no body, no parole’ — that’s not what this legislation does at all.

“It requires the Parole Board to take it into account before we make a decision, but it’s very clear that ultimately the Parole Board has to apply the public protection test in relation to whether that person remains a risk to the public.”

While he acknowledged these were “heartbreaking” cases for victims’ families, he said it does not assist them at all if “we mislead them in suggesting otherwise”.

He added: “It is vital that we explain that this is something we will take into account very carefully and will add weight to our decision-making.”

Named after insurance clerk Helen Mccourt, who vanished on her way home from work in 1988, the Prisoners (Disclosure Of Information About Victims) Bill will also apply to paedophiles who refuse to identify those they abused.

Her murderer Ian Simms was released from prison earlier this year despite never revealing where he hid her body.

Her family spent five years calling for the legislation to help give grieving relatives closure before it finally gained Royal Assent in November after a series of political and constitutional setbacks.

In September the Northern Ireland Assembly passed a similar motion.

The proposal has been supported by the families of Lisa Dorrian and Charlotte Murray, whose bodies have not been found.

Although it has passed, it does not mean the law has changed at this stage.

Questions also remain around the legislation introduced elsewhere in the UK.

When asked whether this law, if already in force, would have changed the board’s decision to release Simms, Mr Jones said: “My own view is even if this legislation had been in place it would not have changed the Parole Board decision that we made.

“It would not have made a difference if this law had been brought in prior to us making a decision on the case.”

The latest comments could cast doubt on how effective the new rules will be in changing the current system.

Parole Board guidance already says offenders who withhold information may still pose a risk to the public and could therefore face longer in prison.

Courts can also hand down tougher sentences for murderers who deliberately conceal the location of a body.

The law sets out to toughen up existing guidelines, making it a legal requirement for the Parole Board to take into account a killer’s failure to disclose the location of their victim’s remains when considering them for release.

Mr Jones, who has been the boss of the Parole Board since 2015 and is a former Ministry of Justice head of sentencing, also said if killers lie about how they have disposed of a body that could add to a family’s distress.

‘This is difficult... it’s described as “no body, no parole” — that’s not what the legislation does at all’