THE family of Carole Packman have questioned what message the parole release of her killer Russell Causley sends to others currently behind bars.

Causley was given a life sentence for murdering Mrs Packman following her disappearance in Bournemouth 35 years ago.

Her body has never been located and Causley, who was found guilty twice after the initial conviction was quashed, has changed his account of the events in 1985 on several occasions.

His grandson Neil Gillingham had attempted to keep him behind bars, however, the parole board granted the 77-year-old’s release last month and a judge dismissed an appeal against the decision last week.

Mr Gillingham told the Daily Echo: “We are at the end of the track.

“We have exhausted all avenues far short of a judicial review, which is a wasted exercise, a waste of time and waste of money.

“It is really overwhelming. I don’t have faith in the justice system now and I don’t have faith in the MPs.

“They stood there and had the audacity to say they empathise and things need to change when they are still releasing killers.

“They released Ian Simms [who murdered Helen McCourt] and now they are releasing my grandfather.”

Mr Gillingham said he is now left “helpless” after years of campaigning to get the answers he and his mother want.

Helen’s law, named after Ms McCourt, who was murdered by Simms in 1988, puts an obligation on the parole board to factor in an offender’s non-disclosure of certain information when making a decision about their release. However, Mr Gillingham said, this policy already existed and it was in effect a “toothless” law.

He said politicians could change the parole process at the drop of a hat but they had chosen not to.

“What message does this [release] send out to the establishment, to all of those prisoners that are currently sat in jail that are refusing to engage, that are refusing to complete their rehabilitation courses,” said Mr Gillingham.

“People should be genuinely concerned because, one, it sends out to anybody that is currently in prison to do what you want, just sit there, as their time will come and, two, if any other killer disposes of a body, they don’t need to worry about it, as their sentence won’t be any different whether the body is found or not.”

He added: “People should be worried and fearful because if this is happening to us, how many other cases are there where people don’t get the media coverage, people don’t get the voice.

“We are being silenced. The system has had enough of us shouting and highlighting the inadequacies. In six months time, we will be forgotten and it will be the next victim and the next family pulled through the wringer.”