Anger as murderer to be freed despite keeping secret of dead wife’s remains

A MURDERER who refused to reveal where he hid his wife’s body 35 years ago will be freed from jail after 23 years, when an appeal to keep him behind bars was dismissed.

The grandson of Russell Causley described the Parole Board ruling to stand by its original decision to allow his release as “contemptible” and “morally wrong”.

Causley, 77, was jailed for life for killing Carole Packman a year after he moved his lover into their home in Bournemouth, Dorset.

Last month the Parole Board found that, while his refusal to reveal the whereabouts of her remains is “heartless”, it does not increase his risk to the public.

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland appealed against the decision, but yesterday the Board confirmed it was standing by the ruling after reviewing the evidence, insisting that Ministry of Justice officials supported the release.

Causley’s grandson Neil

Gillingham, from London, told the PA news agency: “It is contemptible and morally wrong,” adding that although legally the Board may make this decision, he thought it was “not morally acceptable”.

A Parole Board spokesman said: “The Parole Board has immense sympathy for families of victims who have never been found and recognises the pain and anguish they have endured.

“A senior judge of the Parole Board has rejected the application for reconsideration and found that the decision of the original panel was a rational one, with ample evidence on which the panel could base its decision.”

Mr Gillingham previously said the family had been “disgusted” with the original decision and said there was “no justice”, claiming his grandfather had “changed his version of events” but had not been held to account for this.

Mr Gillingham also said the Prisoners (Disclosure of

Information about Victims) Bill “isn’t worth the paper it’s written on”.

Dubbed Helen’s Law, the proposed legislation would deny parole to killers who refuse to reveal the whereabouts of their victim’s body. Named after Helen Mccourt, whose murderer Ian Simms was released from prison earlier this year despite never revealing the whereabouts of her body, the Bill has been repeatedly delayed but is now going through Parliament.