Murderer and rapist may not be added to list of sex offenders
THE mother of a murder victim fears her killer could be released from prison without being put on the sex offenders’ register, even though he told police he had raped her.
Steven Ling, a farm worker, killed Joanne Tulip, 29, on Christmas Day in 1997, stabbing her 60 times.
A rape charge was left to lie on file, even though he said to police he had “sexual intercourse without consent” with his victim, and that he “wanted to kill himself because he had raped her”.
Doreen Soulsby, her mother, went on to campaign successfully for a change in the law so that cases of rape linked to murder would be prosecuted, even if it would make no difference to the sentence the perpetrator received.
But she fears that Ling, who will be considered for parole this month, will not be put on the Sex Offenders’ Register if he is released as a result of this
‘I’m terrified now that he might get out, all because of this legal loophole. He’s a dangerous man’
“legal loophole”. Mrs Soulsby told The Daily Telegraph: “He admitted rape but won’t have to be labelled as a sex offender. It’s incredibly upsetting and I feel I need to make everyone know who he is. For what he did to Joanne, if he is released it will be such an injustice. He deserves to be in prison for much longer. He’s a dangerous man.
“I’m worried for other women. He should be on that register. We had all the evidence, he committed the rape, he admitted it, but just because he wasn’t legally convicted he’ll get off.”
Mrs Soulsby said she was “terrified” he could be released in light of the Parole Board’s decision on John Worboys, the black cab rapist. Worboys was approved for release after serving only eight years for multiple rapes, although he remains in prison while the decision is appealed by several of his victims.
While Ling may not appear on the sex offenders’ register, he could face equally strict conditions. A Ministry of Justice spokesman said offenders released on life licence were “robustly risk assessed and subject to a strict set of conditions, including close supervision by the police and other agencies”, and that they take into account their past behaviour and convictions.