THE grandson of Bournemouth woman murdered by her husband is campaigning to have his killer grandfather’s upcoming parole hearing the first to ever be made public.

Neil Gillingham has been fighting for more than two decades along with his mother Samantha to keep his grandfather Russell Causley in prison after he killed wife Carole Packman in 1985.

While the location of Carole’s body has never been found and despite several admissions and subsequent retractions from Causley, the killer will again have his plight for freedom heard at a parole hearing on October 6 and 14.

For grandson Neil, 32, the “very likely” prospect of his grandfather’s second release in as many years would further undermine legal changes designed to make it harder to release killers who refuse to reveal the whereabouts of their victim’s bodies.

Bournemouth Echo: Bournemouth woman Carole Packman, whose body has never been found after disappearing in 1985Bournemouth woman Carole Packman, whose body has never been found after disappearing in 1985

His application for Causley’s upcoming hearing to be made public was the second to be received by the Parole Board after a rule change earlier this month to allow the public and media to observe proceedings.

Charles Bronson, one of the UK’s longest serving and most notorious prisoners, was the first to request such a hearing.

The Parole Board said it has acknowledged the application for Causley’s hearing to be made public and that a decision has yet to be made.

Neil told the Daily Echo: “I don’t want a private hearing where only I’m able to attend because it can’t just be my voice. I alone am not powerful enough to get what’s said at the hearing out there, in fact I wouldn’t go, I wouldn’t even entertain it.

Bournemouth Echo: Russell Causley. Picture: Al StewartRussell Causley. Picture: Al Stewart

“My grandfather, historically, has got a terrible habit of changing the truth and using the Parole Board to twist it. If my grandfather, at his eighth parole hearing, changes his confession for the fifth time I want people there to witness that.

“It’s simple, I want the media there to act as an unbiased record of the proceedings and let people make their own mind up on the effectiveness of the parole process.

“Parole hearings are the only part of criminal justice which aren’t public, why? It’s so important that this is held on public record so we know exactly what has been said and discussed.

“I know he shouldn’t be released but we just want peace. When I was growing up kids my age were scared of the boogeyman - I was scared of my grandfather.”

The Daily Echo has applied to attend the hearing of Causley if it is heard in public.