Murderer who never shared where body is gets parole

A man who murdered his wife and has never revealed where her body is can be released from prison, the Parole Board has decided.

Glyn Razzell was jailed for life in November 2003 for the murder of his estranged wife Linda, who vanished on her way to work in Swindon in 2002.

Her family said the ruling "ripped up" Helen's Law, which places a legal duty on the Parole Board to consider the suffering caused by killers who refuse to disclose where their victim is buried.

The board said its decisions were "solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk was manageable in the community".

In its decision, the Parole Board noted the "continuing cruelty" of Razzell's refusal to say where Linda's remains are, but concluded he was no longer a risk to the public.

The full reasoning behind the decision was revealed in documents seen by the BBC.

Greg Worrall, Linda's fiance at the time of her disappearance, said: "This is just going to be another level of stress to the family and myself."

Named after Helen McCourt, who was murdered in 1988 and whose killer never revealed where her body was, Helen's Law compels the Parole Board to consider a prisoner's refusal to reveal the victim's remains when assessing their suitability for release.

The Parole Board, in its decision on Razzell, acknowledged the family's concerns and Helen's Law but added: "Denial [to reveal the victim's body's whereabouts] cannot be a bar to release."

The Ministry of Justice has confirmed to the BBC it was looking at ways to contest the parole board decision.

A spokesperson said: "Officials acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Justice are examining if there are grounds to challenge the Parole Board's decision through the reconsideration mechanism".

Linda, 41, was last seen parking her car in Alvescot Road in Swindon in March 2002.

She and Razzell, who is originally from Somerset, had been in the middle of divorce proceedings. She had visited a local bank with a court order to freeze his bank accounts the week before she vanished.

After initially appearing in the media to appeal for her return, Razzell was arrested and charged with her murder.

He was found guilty after a trial. Although Linda's body was never found, police were able to present forensic evidence, including traces of her blood found in the boot of a car Razzell had used.

He was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 16 years.

That sentence expired in 2019, and Razzell applied for parole and was refused three times - including in 2021 when he became the first prisoner to be denied parole under Helen's Law.