Carole Packman murder: Freed wife-killer 'lost touch' with authorities

Russell Causley was freed in 2020 but recalled to prison less than a year later for breaking his licence conditions

A murderer who was freed from prison despite never revealing the whereabouts of his victim's body "temporarily lost touch" with the authorities after his release, the BBC has learned.

Russell Causley, who killed his wife Carole Packman in Bournemouth in the 1980s, was recalled to jail last year.

Mrs Packman's family said they feared the 79-year-old visited the site of her body whilst evading probation officers.

Causley's parole hearing could be one of the first in the UK to be in public.

Carole Packman's daughter Samantha (pictured as a baby) was told by her father that she had walked out on the family home

The family said they had first asked for a specific reason for Causley's recall to prison more than eight months ago.

However, they only received an email with the explanation on the same day the BBC had been making enquiries with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).

The message from a victim liaison officer, seen by the BBC, said Causley was "recalled to prison because he was temporarily out of touch with his supervising officer".

Neil Gillingham, Causley and Mrs Packman's grandson, said: "It's becoming awkwardly embarrassing that it's only when journalists with a bigger platform than us ask questions that we get a response."

The last sighing of Mrs Packman was at a solicitor's office where she was enquiring about divorcing Causley

Causley was twice jailed for Mrs Packman's murder - in 1996 and, after a quashed conviction, again in 2004.

He had initially evaded justice for the best part of a decade and was only exposed when he made a botched attempt to fake his own death as part of an elaborate insurance fraud.

It emerged he had faked a letter from Mrs Packman, who was last seen at a solicitor's office enquiring about divorce, to make it seem like the then-40-year-old was voluntarily leaving.

However, Causley had moved his lover into the matrimonial home, and his daughter later described him being physically and psychologically abusive.

Russell Causley has twice been convicted of murdering his wife but has never revealed how he disposed of her body

Causley's licence conditions were understood to place restrictions on locations he could visit, including areas where Causley previously told fellow inmates he had hidden his wife's body.

Mr Gillingham, 32, said the prospect of Causley losing touch with the authorities was "alarming".

"We've got a feeling that he was visiting my grandmother's body," he said.

"He was given a ticket to freedom and instead of grasping that opportunity and complying with the licence conditions, he once again proved he couldn't be trusted."

Neil Gillingham said not knowing what happened to his grandmother's remains has been "draining psychologically"

He added: "Are we just going to wait for him to breach his conditions again to our detriment?

"Why is it the system keeps prioritising the wrong person over the right person? My grandmother is still missing and the murderer is still playing games."

Earlier this week, it was revealed the Parole Board gave the dates of Causley's parole hearings to a newspaper before the family were informed.

A statement from the MoJ said: "We are deeply sorry for the distress this has caused Carole's family and are working closely with the Parole Board to make sure this kind of error doesn't happen again."

A spokesman for the ministry said it would not be commenting further.