A sadistic sex killer’s bid to be transferred to an open prison has been blocked by Dominic Raab after he overruled the parole board in the first intervention of its kind.
The Justice Secretary decided Stephen Ling, who was jailed for life for the violent murder of a 29 year old woman a quarter of a century ago, should remain in a secure closed prison.
It is the first time that a Justice Secretary has exercised his personal powers to block such a parole board decision in the interests of public safety and justice.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “The Deputy Prime Minister has rejected Steven Ling’s move to open conditions in the interest of public protection.”
It followed an impassioned appeal for such an intervention by the mother of Joanne Tulip, who was raped and stabbed 60 times by Ling, 47, a farm worker, in a ferocious murder at his home on Christmas Day.
Joanne’s mother, Doreen Soulsby, wrote to Mr Raab and won the support of MPs across the political spectrum, demanding that Ling remain in a closed prison. On Friday morning, she received the news that she had bee waiting for that the Justice Secretary had decided the transfer was “unsuitable.”
She told the Telegraph: “It’s such a relief. All the effort has been really worthwhile. I have been campaigning and everyone that I have spoken to cannot believe on offender like him would be released into an open prison.”
'I would like him kept in prison for life'
She said the sadistic nature of the killing - he made carvings on her body - meant he should have been given a minimum sentence of 30 years, rather than being allowed to seek parole 24 years after he was jailed.
“We are getting towards getting justice,” said Ms Soulsby. “Ideally I would like him kept in prison for life.
“He was only 23 when he murdered my daughter. He has had no chance to socialise or have relationships with women. I cannot believe he won’t pose a risk.”
Mr Raab intervened after deciding that a Justice Secretary should personally rule on the transfer of high-risk offenders to open prisons rather than leave it to officials.
He announced the move to take charge of such decisions after serial sex offender Paul Robson, also jailed for life, absconded from an open prison in Lincolnshire just weeks after being moved from a secure jail.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said previously: “[Mr Raab] has repeatedly said that he wants the parole process to take a more precautionary approach when it comes to protecting the public.”
Ling’s trial judge said the murder was so sadistic - he carved images on her body, including swastikas and crosses - that he had brought it to the attention of the Home Secreatary and ruled that he should “never be released so long as it is thought you constitute a danger to women.”
Like Robson, Ling has made four applications for parole after being jailed for life in 1998 with a recommendation that he should serve a minimum sentence of 18 years. Last month, the parole board rejected his bid to be released but backed his move to an open prison.
A parole board spokesman said previously: “"This was a recommendation only and the Secretary of State for Justice considers the advice before making the final decision on whether a prisoner is suitable for open conditions.
"We will only make a recommendation for open conditions if a Parole Board panel is satisfied that the risk to the public has reduced sufficiently to be manageable in an open prison.
"A move to open conditions involves testing the prisoner’s readiness for any potential return into the community in future. Prisoners moved to open conditions can be returned to closed conditions if there is concern about their behaviour.”
The parole board report, seen by The Telegraph, reveals that Ling was assessed as “having developed insight into the triggers and motivation for the index offence [the murder] as well as a greater ability to manage and cope with his problems.”
