Wife killer in 1st public parole hearing to be freed despite admitting cover-up
A convicted killer who tried to get away with murder by faking his own death is set to be released from prison, the Parole Board have said.
Russell Causley was handed a life sentence for the murder of his wife, Carole Packman, who went missing in Bournemouth in 1985 — just a year after Causley moved his lover into their family home.
The 79-year-old served over 23 years behind bars for her murder and was released in 2020, but he was sent back to prison in 2021 for breaching his licence conditions.
Now he is set to walk free once more after making history last month as the first UK prisoner to face a public parole hearing.
Announcing their decision today, the Parole Board said they were "satisfied that Mr Causley was suitable for release.”
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Russell Causley served 23 years for the murder of his wife, Carole (PA)But Causley and Ms Packman's daughter, Samantha Gillingham, has said she is 'dissapointed' in the outcome as she branded the board's decision a 'tick-box exercise'.
She said: “Of course he was going to get released.
“It is what it is and there’s nothing that I can do about it.”
Samantha also branded laws designed to make it more difficult for killers to get parole if they refuse to reveal where they hid their victim’s body “a load of bollocks” and “not worth the paper it is written on”.
The Prisoners (Disclosure of Information About Victims) Act 2020, known as Helen’s Law, came into force last January.
The law was named after insurance clerk Helen McCourt — who vanished on her way home from work in 1988 — and means that parole boards must consider whether the prisoner has co-operated with inquiries as part of their assessment.
But in a written judgement revealing their decision to free Causley the Parole Board said: "Legislation known as 'Helen’s Law' does not apply in this case because Mr Causley is a recalled prisoner."
Carole Packman disappeared in 1985 (PA)
Causley and Packman's daughter Samantha spoke to media at the Parole Board Offices (PA)However, they claimed that their panels of judges always take these circumstances into account when making decisions.
A spokesperson said that reviews are carried out “thoroughly and with extreme care” and that the public was the Parole Board’s “number one priority”.
Causley was first convicted of the murder in 1996 — after evading the charges for over a decade by faking his own death as part of an insurance scam.
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The first conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal in 2003 but a second trial saw him found guilty and he was handed a life sentence.
The self-confessed "habitual liar" has previously admitted that he "changed stories consistently" and has never admitted to the murder despite his conviction.
Causley had always refused to reveal the location of Packman's remains but told the Parole Board last month that he had set her body on fire in his garden before disposing of her ashes.
During the hearing, which took place in Lewes prison, East Sussex, he also blamed his ex-lover, Patricia Causley, for the murder — claiming that she hit Carole with the butt of a replica 1850s Remington revolver and that he "assumed" she then strangled her.
Samantha said she's ready to meet her father after spending decades trying to confront him about the murder (PA)The panel was told police had investigated Ms Causley and could find "no credible evidence" of her involvement in Mrs Packman's murder.
Members of the public and journalists watched the proceedings live via video link from the Parole Board’s Canary Wharf office as Causley said he "loved" his wife but "adored" his mistress.
Causley was recalled to prison in November 2021 after he disappeared from his bail hostel and missed a call from his probation officer.
He claimed that he had been attacked and robbed during a day trip to Portsmouth.
At the hearing last month a panel of three judges considered the killer's evidence as well as a testimony from probation officers, a victim impact statement, and more than 650 pages of information.
Upon news of the Parole Board's decision the Justice Secretaty, Dominic Raab, dubbed Causley a "calculated killer" and said he was "carefully" considering whether to ask to the board to reconsider their decision.
Under the so-called reconsideration mechanism, introduced in July 2019, the Justice Secretary can challenge Parole Board decisions within 21 days if they believe them to be 'procedurally unfair' or 'irrational'.
Mr Raab is also able to submit appeal applications on behalf of victims, their families and members of the public.
But Ms Gillingham said: “There isn’t really anything that I can appeal on.
“They’ve heard that he’s a compulsive liar. Nothing can be believed. We still don’t know where my mother is.”
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