Road rage killer Kenneth Noye to be transferred to open prison

Road rage killer Kenneth Noye is to be transferred to an open prison after a recommendation by the Parole Board.

Noye was given a life sentence in 2000 for stabbing electrician Stephen Cameron, 21, to death in an attack on the M25 in 1996.

He fled to Spain after the stabbing but was extradited in 1998 to face the courts.

Noye, who is now 70, was later jailed for life and told he must serve a minimum term of 16 years behind bars.

But it is thought he could be moved to an open facility in the next six weeks.

Electrician Stephen Cameron, 21, was stabbed to death in 1996. Credit: PA

Open prisons have lower security than "closed" jails.

Prisoners are not locked in cells, are allowed to leave for specific purposes and may get a job while serving their sentence.

Last month the Parole Board said it was not directing Noye's release, but recommended he be transferred to "open conditions".

The advice was passed to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) for the final decision.

Justice Secretary David Lidington accepted the recommendation - which his predecessor Michael Gove blocked in 2015.

At the time Mr Gove voiced his doubts that Noye had "changed his attitude to violence".

An MoJ spokesman said: "Public protection is our top priority and transfers to open conditions are made after a thorough, expert risk assessment carried out by the independent Parole Board."

Noye will be assessed again by the Parole Board before he can be released.