Murdered woman’s mother welcomes call to rethink sadistic killer’s release

The parent of a pistillate who was raped and murdered has welcomed the Lord Chancellor’s determination to inquire the Parole Board to reconsider its proposal that the sadistic slayer who stabbed her 60 times should beryllium freed.

Steven Ling has served 27 years down bars aft helium was jailed for beingness aft admitting the 1997 execution of Joanne Tulip, 29, successful Stamfordham, Northumberland.

Earlier this period helium was recommended for merchandise into the assemblage aft his 5th parole hearing, a determination which was described arsenic “outrageous” by his victim’s mother, Doreen Soulsby.

The Parole Board volition person to determine whether to judge the petition that it reviews its recommendation.

Ling has remained successful custody successful the meantime.

Ms Soulsby said: “I invited the determination taken by the Secretary of State for Justice to taxable a reconsideration petition to the Parole Board.

“I powerfully disagreed with the Parole Board’s determination to merchandise Ling consecutive into the community.

“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 said it was evident during the Parole Board proceeding successful July that Ling, 49, inactive fantasised astir graphic sex.

“Ling has spent 27 years successful custody without having had sex,” she said.

“There is simply a anticipation that erstwhile helium is fto retired successful the community, helium volition earnestly harm different women and volition usage unit to bash so, arsenic helium did with Joanne.

“There is thing that tin beryllium done to halt this antheral perpetually reasoning helium is entitled to sex.”

Hetti Barkworth-Nanton, chairwoman of the home unit foundation Refuge, said: “Ling committed the astir heinous of crimes against Joanne successful 1997, and it was wide that helium continued to harbour intersexual obsessions which formed the backdrop of his rape and execution of Joanne, yet contempt this helium had been recommended for merchandise consecutive into the assemblage and not adjacent via the Open Prison system.

“Today’s petition from the Justice Secretary shows a committedness from the Lord Chancellor that unit against women and girls indispensable beryllium taken earnestly and unsafe men cannot beryllium allowed to locomotion escaped having not served each their situation sentence.”

Ling, a workplace worker, was inspired to execution Ms Tulip connected Christmas Day 1997 by sadism, Newcastle Crown Court heard astatine the time.

A complaint of rape was near connected record during the archetypal tribunal case, truthful helium is not a convicted enactment offender, but successful its ruling the Parole Board said: “Mr Ling has ever accepted that helium raped the victim.”

Sentencing him to beingness successful prison, Mr Justice Potts told Ling, who was 23 astatine the clip of the murder: “You volition ne'er beryllium released truthful agelong arsenic it is thought you represent a information to women.”

Ling was handed beingness with 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 committing a fig of acts of indecent vulnerability earlier helium murdered Ms Tulip and for which helium was not caught.

The sheet accepted helium had undertaken an authoritative programme to code his convulsive and intersexual offending, and his behaviour successful situation “has mostly been exemplary”.

At a proceeding successful July this year, 2 psychologists agreed that Ling should beryllium freed from situation and spoke astir his enduring “shame” astir his “monstrous” past.

His pending merchandise was taxable to conditions which see informing the authorities of immoderate relationships helium mightiness develop; being taxable to monitoring and a curfew, and staying retired of an exclusion portion to debar interaction with his victim’s family.

The Lord Chancellor said: “My thoughts stay with the household and friends of Joanne Tulip, whose beingness was taken successful a genuinely horrifying attack.

“Public extortion is my archetypal priority. After cautious consideration, I person asked the Parole Board to reconsider its determination to merchandise Steven Ling from prison.”