Carole Packman murder: Russell Causley admits covering up wife's death

Russell Causley married his wife Carole Packman in 1965

A convicted murderer has admitted at the UK's first public parole hearing that he covered up his wife's death.

Russell Causley, 79, murdered wife Carole Packman in Bournemouth in 1985 but has always refused to reveal the whereabouts of her body.

He told the hearing that it was his ex-lover Patricia Causley, whose name he took, who carried out the killing.

Ms Causley was never tried over the killing. Under questioning, Causley agreed that he was a "habitual liar".

Former aviation engineer Causley claimed he burned Mrs Packman's body in a fire, in his garden, that lasted "three or four days".

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

The panel of three parole judges put it to Causley that it was "very convenient" he was now blaming someone else for the murder.

"I don't see why it's convenient," he replied.

He told the hearing he had "adored" Ms Causley, a younger colleague he had moved into the matrimonial home as his lover, and wanted to protect her from going to prison.

The panel heard police had investigated Ms Causley and "no credible evidence" was found of her involvement in Mrs Packman's murder.

Causley said he hid his wife's ashes on roadsides and in hedgerows around the Bournemouth area.

"I can't believe I did what I did, but I did," he said.

"I'd like another opportunity. Do I deserve it? Probably not."

Russell Causley was jailed for fraud after a botched attempt to fake his own death

The hearing was told Causley had been released in 2020 after serving more than 23 years in custody but was recalled to prison a year later for breaking his licence conditions.

Causley was not in his approved accommodation on one night and failed to answer calls from his probation officer, something the prisoner described as a "silly mistake".

The hearing was told he had left his wallet and phone behind, only taking some cash and a towel with him for a trip to a beach in Portsmouth.

Causley said he was mugged by three men during that trip and spent the night lying on the beach. He was later picked up by police and sent back to jail.

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

A member of the panel reminded Causley of the time he faked his own death in 1993 as part of an elaborate insurance fraud, and asked him if he had been planning on doing the same again.

Causley said that was not his plan.

Earlier, the parole hearing was told Causley's sentencing judge described how he "bullied and dominated" his wife for years before moving his mistress into the family home, adding that he was a "totally ruthless" and "calculated" killer.

However, the hearing was also told that his behaviour since returning to prison had been "exemplary", and his prison offender manager said the risk of him committing another offence was low.

Samantha Gillingham, Mrs Packman's daughter, addressed reporters outside the Parole Board's offices in Canary Wharf

Samantha Gillingham, Mrs Packman and Causley's daughter who has long campaigned to keep her father behind bars, said the panel members were "very robust in their questioning".

"I wasn't expecting them to give him such a grilling," she said, as she addressed reporters outside the Parole Board's offices in Canary Wharf.

"[Causley] told lies in the hearing and that's still difficult - but it [being in public] is still a step forward.

"I come away less angry and less frustrated than after his previous parole hearings."

The panel is expected to deliver its decision at the end of the month.