Widow of murdered policeman hits out at parole staff

Gill Merrin, 65, said it was the last straw

The widow of a police officer who was murdered by a man high on a cocktail of drink and tranquilisers has hit out at parole staff for treating her like “an inconvenience”.

Gill Merrin, 65, said it was the "last straw" as she will have to wait weeks for a decision over whether to move his killer to open prison.

Paul Weddle, now 56, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 25 years in 1994 for the murder of Sgt Bill Forth in Gateshead.

A Parole Board panel recommended in November that Weddle should be moved to an open prison, and it is now up to Justice Secretary Alex Chalk to decide whether to approve that.

Sgt Bill Forth had been a police officer for 14 years

Mrs Merrin said she was expecting a decision to be made in January but had since been told it would take weeks due to new legislation.

She said that no-one had warned her or her daughter that there might be delays, and accused parole staff of treating them like an inconvenience.

"It's the fact that you're not informed," she said. "When you are, it's all last minute. I can tell that we are just an utter inconvenience.

"The delay just feels like the last straw. I can't be the only one who's had this kind of problem.

"I appreciate that means he's not going anywhere, but that's not what this is about.”

She added: "This is about the process and the additional angst and strain it puts on families.”

Sgt Forth, who had been a police officer for 14 years, was murdered after being called to a domestic disturbance after Weddle had smashed the window of a house where his ex-girlfriend was babysitting with her new boyfriend.

Having consumed alcohol and drugs including Temazepam, Weddle hit the officer with a piece of fencing before stabbing him multiple times.

In 2013, Weddle won a High Court case in which he claimed not enough was being done to aid his rehabilitation.

'Recommendation only'

A Parole Board spokesperson said: “The Parole Board refused the release of Paul Weddle but recommended a move to an open conditions prison following an oral hearing in November 2023.

"This was a recommendation only and the secretary of state for justice considers the advice before making the final decision on whether a prisoner is suitable for open conditions."

The spokesperson also said that the body only recommended a prisoner be moved to open conditions if they were satisfied that the risk posed by the prisoner to the public had been significantly reduced.

The Ministry of Justice did not comment.