Carole Packman murder: Decision to free wife-killer will not be contested

Russell Causley married his wife Carole Packman in 1965

The Ministry of Justice will not contest the decision to release a man who killed his wife and was subject to the UK's first public parole hearing.

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

The Parole Board ruled it was safe for Causley to be let out of prison after he argued for his release last month.

The MoJ confirmed it had decided not to challenge the decision.

• Read more: My father killed mum in 1985 - he still won't say where she is

A spokesperson said: "We have thoroughly examined the Parole Board's decision but detailed legal advice concluded there were no grounds to ask them to reconsider.

"We know this will be incredibly difficult for Carole Packman's family, but Russell Causley will be under close supervision for the rest of his life and can be recalled to prison if he breaches the strict conditions of his release.

"Our parole reforms will stand up for the rights of victims in cases like this, making public safety the overriding factor in parole decisions and adding a Ministerial veto on release of the most serious offenders."

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

Causley's parole hearing at HMP Lewes made UK legal history, with the media and public invited to watch proceedings for the first time.

A panel of three parole judges were told how the former aviation engineer had initially been released in 2020 after serving 23 years of a life sentence - but was recalled to jail for breaking his licence conditions.

Causley admitted he had lost contact with his probation officers and failed to stay at his approved accommodation, something he put down to a "silly mistake".

The Parole Board said it recognised Causley was a "self-confessed liar" but found he was at "low risk of further offending".

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

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.

Causley has repeatedly changed his account of what happened to his wife, most recently pleading his innocence and claiming his role was limited to disposing of her body on a bonfire in his garden.

At last month's parole hearing he blamed the killing on his ex-lover Patricia Causley, whose name he took.

Patricia Causley was never tried over the killing and the parole judges said "no credible evidence" was found against her after a police investigation.