Inside story of killer Russell Causley, who bragged about the “perfect murder of his shitty wife” upon his release

A MURDERER who tried to fake his own death in a boating accident after killing his wife is to be released from prison.

Russell Causley, who has refused to reveal the location of his wife’s body, is now set to be released on parole after a public hearing.

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Carole Packman, 40, disappeared from her family’s home in Bournemouth in 1985. Her daughter found her mother’s wedding ring and note.

Causley was jailed a decade later after attempting to fake his own death in a staged boating accident.

While reportedly confessing to murder behind bars, Causley was convicted of murder in 2004 when he spoke about the “perfect” murder of his “b**** wife”.

He was originally convicted of murder in 1996, but the conviction was overturned in 2003.

Earlier this month, the parole board said he was now eligible for parole.

The killer had been released from prison in 2020 but was recalled to prison in November last year after violating his license terms.

He didn’t respond to a call from his parole officer and disappeared from his bail hostel.

A spokeswoman for the MoJ said: “We have thoroughly reviewed the parole board’s decision, but detailed legal advice concluded that there was no reason to ask them to reconsider their decision.

“We know this will be incredibly difficult for Carole Packman’s family, but Russell Causley will be under close surveillance for the rest of his life and may be recalled to prison if he violates the strict terms of his release.

“Our parole reforms will champion victims’ rights in such cases, make public safety a primary factor in parole decisions, and add a ministerial veto on the release of the most serious offenders.”

Carole’s daughter, Samantha Gillingham, had urged Causley to reveal the location of her mother’s body before he was considered for parole.

The murder had strong parallels to the case of pub owner Ian Simms, who killed Helen McCourt when she was just 22 years old.

Simms, who always refused to say where the body was, died two years after his release from prison at the age of 65.

Simms, from the St Helens area of ​​Merseyside, attacked Helen in 1988 as she was walking home from work.

Helen’s mother, Marie, launched a crusade to fight against the release of killers like Simms who refuse to reveal the victims’ whereabouts.

This led to the Prisoners (Disclosure of Information About Victims) Act, called Helen’s Law. The law makes it harder for killers who refuse to disclose information about victims to be paroled.

The law legally requires the parole board to consider non-disclosure of information about victims in its decision-making.

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