'I'm terrified now parole board are going to allow my daughter's killer to go free'

Joanne Tulip, 29, was stabbed 60 times connected Christmas Day successful 1997 by a past 23-year-old workplace idiosyncratic Stephen Ling - who is present nearing the extremity of his 27-year-long sentence, aged 48

A mum whose girl was brutally raped and murdered in 1997 says she has been near “terrified” by the Parole Board refusing to overturn its ruling that her slayer should beryllium released.

Joanne Tulip, 29, was stabbed 60 times connected Christmas Day by workplace idiosyncratic Stephen Ling, present 48. A past 23-year-old Ling mutilated Joanne's assemblage and carved crosses and swastikas onto it some earlier and aft her death. He was sentenced to life successful 1998 and is present nearing the extremity of his 27-year-long term.

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood had asked the Parole Board to reconsider its proposal that workplace idiosyncratic Steven Ling should beryllium released, but connected Tuesday, a spokesperson said: “A justice astatine the Parole Board considered the exertion for reconsideration and has decided, based connected the evidence, that it volition beryllium refused”, leaving Joanne's mum "terrified."

The spokesperson added: “Decisions of the Parole Board are solely focused connected what hazard a prisoner could correspond to the nationalist and whether that hazard is manageable successful the community. When assessing the reconsideration application, the justice recognised the precise important gravity of the lawsuit and the profound ongoing interaction connected the victim’s family.”

Joanne’s mum Doreen Soulsby, said she was “extremely disappointed” that the reconsideration petition had been unsuccessful and feared “any pistillate that Ling becomes progressive with volition not beryllium safe." Ms Soulsby said: “A unsafe antheral who committed the astir horrific and sadistic crimes volition present beryllium released consecutive retired into the assemblage and volition beryllium roaming our streets. I americium present precise disquieted and terrified astir the merchandise of my daughter’s murderer.

“As a mother, the symptom of losing my girl volition ne'er fade. The interaction of Joanne’s brutal execution and rape volition beryllium felt forever. Knowing Joanne’s murderer is being released feels similar a betrayal caused by our justness system. I powerfully fearfulness that immoderate pistillate that Ling becomes progressive with volition not beryllium safe.”

She added: “Given today’s outcome, the public’s assurance successful our justness strategy volition beryllium breached and shattered everlastingly with nary mode of repairing it. How tin anyone person religion successful our justness strategy erstwhile victims get these outcomes?”

Ms Soulsby said the determination to merchandise Ling was “outrageous”, adding: "She said: “This is simply a antheral who committed the astir horrific sadistic crimes against my daughter, including stabbing her 60 times and raping her, aft having consumed a important magnitude of alcohol.” She besides said it was evident during the Parole Board proceeding successful July that Ling, 49, inactive fantasised astir graphic sex, and said: “There is thing that tin beryllium done to halt this antheral perpetually reasoning helium is entitled to sex.”

Ms Mahmood asked the Parole Board to reconsider connected the ground it was legally irrational. Ling was motivated by sadism to transportation retired the execution of Joanne connected Christmas Day, Newcastle Crown Court heard astatine the time. During the archetypal case, a complaint of rape was near connected file, truthful helium is not a convicted enactment offender. In its ruling however, the Parole Board said: “Mr Ling has ever accepted that helium raped the victim.”

According to the Parole Board connected Tuesday, the justice who considered the Secretary of State’s exertion said: “Having had the vantage of proceeding and assessing each of the evidence, which of people included the grounds of (Steven Ling), a precise experienced sheet provided a just and broad determination which intelligibly considered each of the grounds with large attraction and sizeable sensitivity.

“The sheet successful my judgement satisfied the nationalist instrumentality work to supply evidence-based reasons that afloat and sufficiently justified and explained the assorted conclusions that it reached. In my judgement it cannot beryllium sensibly argued that this was a determination that nary tenable sheet could person travel to.” The committee spokesperson added: “Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with utmost care. Protecting the nationalist is our fig 1 priority.”

When Ling was sentenced to beingness successful prison, helium was told by Mr Justice Potts: “You volition ne'er beryllium released truthful agelong arsenic it is thought you represent a information to women.” He was handed a minimum word of 20 years, which was reduced to 18 years by the High Court. The Parole Board judgement said Ling has since admitted a fig of acts of indecent vulnerability anterior to him murdering Ms Tulip, for which helium was not caught. The sheet said helium had completed an authoritative programme to code his convulsive and intersexual offending, and his behaviour successful situation “has mostly been exemplary”.

Two psychologists agreed Ling should beryllium freed from situation successful a proceeding successful July this year, and mentioned his ongoing “shame” astir his “monstrous” past. His pending merchandise was taxable to a fig of conditions, including telling authorities astir immoderate relationships helium whitethorn develop, being monitored with a curfew, and staying retired of an exclusion portion to debar interaction with his victim’s family.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "Our thoughts stay with the household and friends of Joanne Tulip astatine this hard time. We are disappointed with this result but respect the autarkic Parole Board's decision. Ling volition beryllium connected licence for the remainder of his life, with strict conditions and probation supervision aft helium is released, and helium faces an contiguous instrumentality to situation if helium breaks the rules."