Killer who raped and stabbed woman 60 times should be released from prison, parole board says

He has now been recommended for release following his fifth parole hearing.

A charge of rape was left on file during the original court case, meaning he is not a convicted sex offender.

However, Ling "always accepted" he raped Tulip in the vicious Christmas Day murder of 1997.

Sentencing him to life at Newcastle Crown Court, Justice Potts told Ling, who was 23 at the time of the murder: “You inflicted appalling injuries on [Tulip] while you were having sexual relations with her.

“I’m also satisfied that there was in your motivation an aspiration of sadism.”

He added: “You will never be released so long as it is thought you constitute a danger to women.”

• Benefits cheat used £5,000 of council cash so he could employ friend as personal cleaner
• Ministers 'considering anything' to tackle prison crisis as plan floated to send inmates to Estonia
• Georgia judge makes verdict on whether US school shooter, 14, to face death penalty

However, a parole hearing agreed Ling should be freed from prison on a risk management plan and spoke of his enduring “shame” about his “monstrous” past.

Tulip’s mother Doreen Soulsby labelled the parole exercise a farce after it was ruled that the killer’s evidence could be given in private.

Asked if he appreciated the “gravity” of his offending on Tulip and her loved ones, psychologist A said Ling discussed it quite regularly, which can be “helpful” in deterring him from straying into unhealthy thoughts.

Psychologist B added: “He will refer to himself as a monster when talking to me.

“He has talked about the struggle to come to terms with the person he was that night, leading up to it as well.

“I agree that I think it helps occasionally to revisit the enormity of the index offence to avoid complacency.”

In its published decision, the Parole Board panel appeared to echo psychologist A's claims about Ling not posing an imminent risk.

It said: “The panel was satisfied that imprisonment was no longer necessary for the protection of the public.”

Ling's release was subject to conditions, which included informing the authorities of any relationships he might develop; being subject to monitoring and a curfew and staying out of an exclusion zone to avoid contact with his victim’s family.