The former partner of a murdered woman whose body has remained hidden for more than 20 years has said the man convicted of the killing commits a new crime against his victim and her family every day that he refuses to allow a proper burial to take place.
Glyn Razzell, who was found guilty in 2003 of killing his estranged wife, Linda Razzell, faces a two-day parole hearing beginning on Thursday, one of the first to take place in public.
Speaking to the Guardian before the hearing, Greg Worrall, Linda Razzell’s partner at the time of her disappearance from Wiltshire in 2002, has said the killer should not be freed unless he says what happened to her and where her body is.
“He shouldn’t qualify for parole. He has no remorse,” Worrall said. “He’s not afforded us a funeral for Linda. Every day, he decides to commit the same crime again and again – preventing a lawful burial. Every day he prevents the burial should be another day on his sentence.”
He said he had some reservations about the hearing. “This puts more control in his hands. He’s a control freak. We’ve all rebuilt our lives. What’s it doing to everyone who has picked up the pieces and rebuilt a new life?
“It’s giving him the opportunity to impinge on our new lives. Is he still controlling the hearts and minds of all those he has affected? Are we being used as a gimmick? There’s nothing to review, nothing’s changed. There’s no new evidence, are they wasting taxpayers’ money doing this?”
Worrall said he thought Razzell would enjoy the attention of the hearing. “It must be really boring in prison. Every time the Parole Board make life more interesting for him, they’re playing into his hands.”
He said Linda, who was 41 when she disappeared, was funny, very intelligent and loyal to her four children, and they had been planning a future together. She and her estranged husband, an insurance manager, were in the middle of divorce proceedings, with Razzell facing a financial settlement he was not prepared to accept.
She left home in the market town of Highworth, near Swindon, on the morning of 19 March 2002 and dropped off Worrall, who worked at the town’s Honda factory, before apparently heading towards her workplace, Swindon College.
Worrall contacted the police that evening when she failed to pick up her two younger children from an after-school club. Her car and phone were discovered near the college but there was no sign of her.
Police found bloodstains that were matched to Linda Razzell in a car Glyn Razzell had used, and he was arrested. At trial in Bristol, he was described as “a methodical man who planned everything”.
In 2019, police searched a country park in Highworth after a tip from a member of the public but did not find anything.
Last year, Razzell became the first prisoner to be refused parole under the so-called “Helen’s law”, which makes it harder for killers to be released if they refuse to reveal where they hid their victim’s body.
The Parole Board said Razzell could remain in an open prison but could not be released. A document setting out the decision said he “maintained his innocence”. It said his behaviour in prison had been good and he had been allowed out on temporary release but had not taken part in any courses or programmes to address his offending.
Thursday’s parole hearing will be held at the open prison where Razzell, now 63, is serving his sentence, and a live stream will be relayed to a public gallery in the high court in London. According to court documents, options for the panel are to direct that he stay in open conditions or be released into the community.
