Helen's Law: Grandson of Carole Packman murderer Russell Causley fights to keep him behind bars

• Neil Gillingham tells his murderer grandfather Russell Causley to 'have a backbone'

The grandson of a woman murdered over 35 years ago says his killer grandfather should never be released from prison - as he has still not revealed where he dumped her body.

Carole Packman disappeared in 1985, a year after Russell Causley moved his lover into their home in Bournemouth - but it was not until years later that he was convicted of her murder.

Now, as Causley prepares for a new parole board hearing which could see him released, his grandson Neil Gillingham has told ITV News Anglia that not knowing his grandmother's final resting place has left open wounds for the family.

He says that Causley's refusal to reveal what he did with Mrs Packman's body makes a mockery of Helen's Law - which is designed to make it harder for killers to be released if they do not reveal the details of their crimes.

“We still haven’t got peace," said Mr Gillingham, of west Northamptonshire.

"My grandmother's been missing for 37 years... She was 40 when she went missing.

"So for as long as she was on this planet, she's been missing for. No grave, no death certificate, no date when she died exactly - nothing."

Russell Causley, now in his late 70s, was first convicted of Mrs Packman's murder in 1996 but it was quashed by the Court of Appeal in 2003 and he faced a second trial for murder.

He was then found guilty again at a retrial in 2004.

He was freed from prison in 2020 but in December 2021 he was sent back to prison for 12 months after breaching his licence conditions.

That period is now coming to an end and another parole hearing has been set.

Mr Gillingham said releasing Causley would undermine laws making it harder for killers to get out if they do not reveal where their victim's body is.

'Helen's law' was passed following the tireless campaigning of Marie McCourt, mother of Helen McCourt, who was murdered in 1988. The law could stop killers who refuse to reveal the whereabouts of their victims being released from prison.

Mr Gillingham told ITV News that he wanted parole board hearings to be open to the public, so people could see if Helen's law was being properly applied.

"I want the press there. I want the public to be able to come if they so desire and observe proceedings and hear for themselves," he said.

"Let my peers judge this. I don't want it to be my opinion.

"I'm telling you now: my grandfather doesn't deserve release, and he's an evil person that needs to spend the rest of his days behind bars.

"But the only way I'm ever going to be able to satisfy the masses of that, is if we can all hear the facts and you can see the monster that's before us.”

Mr Gillingham has made an application for the parole hearing be held in public.

In a statement the Parole Board said: "The Parole Board has received an application for Mr Causley’s parole review to be held in public. The Parole Board was only able to accept applications from the 21 July this year, once the rules had been changed.

"Any application received will be considered and the reasons why it was granted or rejected will be published on the Parole Board website."

Meanwhile Mr Gillingham said he just wanted his grandfather to tell the truth.

"Russell... do the decent thing. Speak. Have a backbone."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know