Carole Packman murder: Wife-killer could face public parole hearing

Causley has never revealed the whereabouts of wife Carole's body

A man who murdered his wife and never revealed the whereabouts of her body could be one of the first prisoners in the UK to have a public parole hearing.

Russell Causley was handed a life sentence for the killing of Carole Packman, who disappeared from her home in Bournemouth, Dorset, in 1985.

He had been released in 2020 but was sent back to prison last year after breaking his licence conditions.

Neil Gillingham, his grandson, is applying for the hearing to be public.

Neil Gillingham said he believes the process for Causley's parole should be transparent

Mr Gillingham, 32, has long campaigned for Causley to remain behind bars as he believes he continues to pose a risk to his family.

He said: "If our case doesn't qualify for a public hearing, what does?

"How evil and sadistic does the murderer need to be? How exceptional does the case need to be?

"My grandfather has no shame. I question whether or not he has a heart, and if he does, whether it's made out of stone or flesh.

"My whole life has been tainted by my grandfather and I want a public hearing to scrutinise the man who has impacted on me for so long."

Causley, pictured in the 1980s, was jailed for fraud after a botched attempt to fake his own death

Causley, who was caught out as a murderer after faking his own death as part of an insurance scam in the early 1990s, is next due before the Parole Board in October.

The application will be the second to be received by the Parole Board requesting a public hearing after a rule change earlier this month to allow the public and media to observe proceedings.

Charles Bronson, one of the UK's longest serving and most notorious prisoners, was the first to request such a hearing.

A spokesperson for the Parole Board told the BBC any application for a public hearing would "take some time to process" but that once a decision had been made the reasons would be published on its website.