Killer Glyn Razzell is set to discover whether he can be released from prison, with the High Court set to rule on a legal challenge over the decision on Friday.
Razzell was jailed for life with a minimum of almost 16 years in 2003 for the murder of his estranged wife, Linda Razzell, the previous year.
The mother of four disappeared on her way to work at Swindon College, Wiltshire, amid divorce proceedings.
Her body has never been found. The Parole Board ruled three times from 2019 that Razzell should remain behind bars, but in April decided he could be released on licence.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) referred the decision to the High Court, telling a two-day hearing earlier this week that it should be reversed.
Razzell, who attended the hearing in London, is opposing the bid to block his release, with Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb due to hand down her ruling at 10.30am on Friday.
The MoJ can refer a Parole Board’s decision to release a prisoner to the High Court if it believes the release would undermine public confidence in the parole system, and the court must be satisfied that imprisonment is no longer necessary for the protection of the public.
The court heard from relatives and loved ones of Mrs Razzell, including her cousin Julie Westmore, who said that she and her family “will not feel safe” if Razzell is released.
Ms Westmore also expressed fear that “all hope of ever finding Linda’s remains will be lost” if Razzell is released.
The Parole Board said in its April decision that it had “serious doubts” about Razzell’s honesty and that there was a “very significant” risk in the context of relationships, but said this was “not imminent”.
It decided that he would comply with licence conditions as he was “strongly motivated not to return to custody”.
The Parole Board made its decision after considering Helen’s Law, named after Helen McCourt, who vanished on her way home from work in 1988.
The law requires the Parole Board to take into consideration a killer’s refusal to disclose where they hid their victim’s body.
Tristan Jones KC, for the MoJ, said the Parole Board’s decision “loses sight of the fact that he has not been honest or transparent” and that proposed licence conditions “cannot fully address the risks” Razzell poses.
Razzell, of Crewkerne, Somerset, has always denied being responsible for the killing.
His barrister, Matthew Stanbury, told the court in written submissions: “There is no, or no sufficiently cogent, basis for departing from the panel’s decision.”
