Lynette’s notorious murderer to remain in prison
ONE of Wales’ most notorious murderers is not suitable to be released from prison, according to the parole board.
Jeffrey Gafoor was sentenced to life in 2003 after advances in DNA technology linked him with the 1988 murder of sex worker Lynette White, 20, who was stabbed more than 50 times at her docklands flat in Cardiff.
A summary of a Parole Board hearing from May 21 this year states that, while Gafoor had been making progress since transferring to an open prison last year, Covid-19 restrictions prevented him “making as much progress as hoped”.
Gafoor has also been unable to undertake any temporary releases from prison because of the pandemic.
The document states: “After considering the circumstances of his offending, the progress made while in custody, and the other evidence presented in the dossier, the panel was not satisfied that Mr Gafoor was suitable for release.
“However, on assessing the benefits and risks of Mr Gafoor remaining in open conditions, the panel recommended that he should do so.
“He had made considerable efforts to address his areas of risk and had demonstrated steady progress.
“It is now for the Secretary of State to decide whether he accepts the Parole Board’s recommendation.
“Mr Gafoor will be eligible for another parole review in due course.”
The review was told the probation service had yet to “fully develop” a release plan for Gafoor but would likely involve him living in supported accommodation with strict limits placed on his movements, contacts and activities.
“The panel concluded this outline plan was not ready to manage Mr Gafoor in the community at this stage,” they said.
“His probation officer advised that a gradual return to the community would be needed, using temporary releases to allow Mr Gafoor to be thoroughly tested and to accommodate to the eventual needs of release on life licence.”
The hearing was told that Gafoor’s risk factors at the time of the murder included a “loss of control when angry or feeling under threat”.
There had also been concerns about his emotional wellbeing, and slashing both wrists, cutting, stabhe “had been willing to use violence bing and slashing her face, arm and and weapons and had given insuffiespecially the torso. cient thought to his victims”. “It is tempting to talk of the
While in prison Gafoor had underdefendant having attacked in a frentaken accredited programmes to zy, but the pattern of distribution of address his “decision making, better injuries suggests a particular mindwaysset.”ofthinkingandtendencytouse violence”. Ms White’s murder originally
Gafoor was jailed for life with a resulted in three innocent men being minimum of 13 years at Cardiff jailed in 1990 before their convicCrown Court in July 2003 after pleadtions were quashed on appeal in ing guilty to murder when he was 38, 1992, and a reopening of the case led confessing to stabbing Ms White police to Gafoor 11 years later. with a knife more than 50 times folA £30m investigation, Britain’s lowing a row over £30. biggest police corruption probe, was
At his sentencing, Patrick Harlaunched into whether 13 South rington QC, prosecuting, told the Wales Police officers perverted the court: “He did not simply kill, he course of justice in manipulating eviattacked in a barbaric manner, cutdence, but in 2011 a trial of eight ting, stabbing and slashing his victim officers collapsed when documents over 50 times, cutting her throat, went missing.