Carole Packman murder: Dominic Raab backs public parole hearing

Russell Causley married his wife Carole Packman in 1965

Justice Secretary Dominic Raab has said he wants a notorious wife-killer to face his next parole hearing in public.

Russell Causley murdered Carole Packman in Bournemouth in the 1980s and never revealed the whereabouts of her body.

The 79-year-old was freed in 2020 but was returned to prison for breaking his licence conditions last year.

Mrs Packman's family said they welcomed Mr Raab's intervention. However, the final decision on whether the hearing is public lies with the Parole Board.

Causley's parole hearing in October could be one of the first in UK history to be heard in public after a change in the rules earlier this summer.

Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said he supported Mrs Packman's family's application for a public hearing

Justice minister Stuart Andrew revealed Mr Raab's position in a letter, seen by the BBC, written to the constituency MP of Mrs Packman's family.

It said: "As a party to the parole proceedings, the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Justice, the Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP, was asked for his view on the application [for a public hearing] and has decided to support the application."

The MoJ re-iterated that this was Mr Raab's view when asked by the BBC.

Causley was returned to prison after "losing touch" with probation officers, and the family have said they feared he had used the time to visit Mrs Packman's remains.

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

Neil Gillingham, Mrs Causley's grandson and spokesman for the family, said the support of Mr Raab added "weight" to the family's calls for a public hearing.

Mr Gillingham said: "I welcome Dominic Raab's support.

"He's put his cards on the table and he's said he agrees with our application.

"This isn't an emotional call, this is sheer logic.

"We need this parole hearing to be in public - so I think it's important that support is shown from government."

Carole Packman disappeared in 1985 aged 40 and her body has never been found

The MoJ has previously said it was "deeply sorry" after Causley's parole dates were given to a local newspaper before the victim's family.

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

Causley 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.

He has since repeatedly changed his account of what happened.