Twisted killer Michael Sams, from Nottinghamshire, has spent an additional six years in prison for the protection of the public and has had four reviews by the Parole Board since the expiry of his minimum term in 2017. His bid for freedom was detailed in a Parole Board Decision Summary, seen by Nottinghamshire Live, on the reasons why the one-legged murderer's latest hearing for release failed.
Sams, from Newark, killed 18-year-old Julie Dart, whose body was found in a field near Grantham in 1991. He also kidnapped another young woman, Stephanie Slater, who was remarkably returned home by Sams after he took her from a red light district in Leeds.
On 8 July 1993, Sams received a mandatory life sentence following conviction for offences of murder and kidnapping. He was ordered to spend a minimum term in prison of 25 years. This term expired in February 2017 - making him eligible for consideration for release from that date.
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At the same time as the life sentence was imposed, Sams received four concurrent determinate prison sentences of 10 years each for four offences of blackmail.
As required by law, Sams’ case was referred to the Parole Board by the Secretary of State for Justice to determine whether he could be safely released on parole licence. If not, the panel should consider whether transfer to open conditions could be recommended.
The panel could only direct release if it was satisfied that it was no longer necessary for the protection of the public that Mr Sams remained confined in prison.
If the panel did not find that Sams could be released, it should consider his suitability for transfer to open conditions. To do so, the panel must review the extent to which he has made sufficient progress in reducing risk in order to protect the public from harm, given that a prisoner in open prison may be unsupervised in the community and taking temporary releases under licence.
The Secretary of State will only accept a recommendation for transfer to open conditions from the Parole Board if the prisoner is assessed to be at low risk of absconding and where a period in open prison is considered essential to inform future decisions about release and to prepare for possible release on licence into the community.
The case was considered at an oral hearing on 20 March 2023 by video links with all participants. Sams, now 81, chose not to be legally represented for the hearing and made no indication as to his application to the Parole Board.
In reaching its decision, the panel considered the contents of Sams’ dossier, prepared by the Secretary of State. At the hearing, the panel took oral evidence from Sams’ community-based Probation Officer, the official responsible for supervising his case in prison, and a psychologist employed by the prison service.
Sams chose not to give evidence to the panel, although was present for the hearing. The Secretary of State’s representative was party to the proceedings.
The panel had the benefit of a victim personal statement which conveyed clearly the impact of Sams’ crimes and the long-term consequences of his offending. The contents were considered carefully by the panel which also took into account the views expressed about licence conditions which might apply if Sams was returned to the community.
The Parole Board Decision Summary reads: "The panel carefully considered the detail and circumstances of all of the index offences as well as all the other evidence before it. It identified a number of risk factors - things that made it more likely that Mr Sams would offend - which had existed at the time of his offending.
"These had included his willingness to use violence and weapons, his tendency to harbour feelings of anger and resentment, and a capacity for manipulation and predatory behaviour. The panel also noted that Mr Sams had been socially isolated and struggled with relationships.
"He lacked victim empathy and felt entitled to things. Some unhelpful aspects of his personality were linked to his poor thinking and decision-making skills. Evidence was presented at the hearing regarding Mr Sams’ progress and custodial conduct during this sentence.
"He had undertaken some accredited programmes to address aspects of his offending behaviour including work which had focused on his thinking skills, and management of anger and emotions. He had also undertaken some therapeutic work in a specialist setting.
"Following completion of this work, a further intervention had been recommended and was considered essential to consolidate the progress Sams had made, and to enable him to demonstrate that he could put his learning into practice. This work remained outstanding.
"The panel were told that Sams’ behaviour had been generally good. However, he had not actively engaged with professionals to discuss his progress and sentence plan.
"A number of protective factors which would reduce the risk of reoffending were identified in this case. These included Mr Sams’ completion of some offending behaviour work, and his advanced age. Witnesses could not support either release or a transfer to an open prison at this stage.
"The panel examined the release plan provided by Sams’ Probation Officer and weighed its proposals against assessed risks. The plan included a requirement to reside in designated accommodation for an extended period of time as well as strict limitations on Sams’ contacts, movements and activities.
"The panel concluded this plan was not robust enough to manage Sams in the community at this stage. The panel also examined the option for Sams to be managed in an open prison with lower levels of security and where at times he would be in the community during periods of temporary release. It concluded that he did not meet the criteria for such a transfer".
After considering the circumstances of his offending, the progress made while in custody and the evidence presented at the hearing and in the dossier, the panel was not satisfied that Sams was suitable for release.
Nor did the panel recommend to the Secretary of State that Mr Sams should be transferred to open prison. He will be eligible for another parole review in due course.
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