Murdered Corby schoolgirl Collette Gallacher's family on 'merry-go-round of hurt' at killer's recall

• Collette Gallacher's sisters spoke to ITV News Anglia's Graham Stothard

The sisters of a schoolgirl murdered nearly 40 years ago say they are riding a "merry-go-round of hurt" after her killer was recalled to prison - without them being told why.

Collette Gallacher was just six years old and on her way to school when she was abducted, raped and murdered by Adam Stein in 1986.

Her sisters Claire and Lauren say every time he is recalled to prison and applies for parole they have to relive their trauma.

"I want my mum to have peace, but she'll never have peace while we're constantly in this cycle of release, recall. It's our life sentence isn't it?" the sisters told ITV News Anglia.

"There's always someone missing from our life as well," said Claire.

"And there's someone that should have been here and is not here because of his actions."

Claire had not been born when in 1986 when her sister was killed, while Lauren was barely walking.

After five days of searching, Collette's body was found in Stein's attic.

In 2016, he was released on licence but recalled for driving offences.

He was then released again in March 2022, but in July was recalled again for a breach of licence and jailed for four years. The family say they have not been told why he was recalled.

The Ministry of Justice just confirmed the earliest he can be released is November 2024.

"When we were putting our points across, when he was up for release, we knew this was going to happen. We knew that he was going to get recalled. And we knew it was only a matter of time," the sisters said.

"It's [a feeling of] here we go again. It's a lifetime of not doing what you're supposed to [because he has been] breaching his condition.

"So he's released, he's put back in. Until he's locked away forever or he dies, that's the only way that this will end for us."

The family also want Stein to be placed on the sex offenders register, to enable more checks to be carried out on him.

The register was only introduced in 1997 and anyone who committed a crime before then does not have to go on the list.

The Parole Board told ITV News Anglia decisions were "solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.

"A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims.

"Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority." 

But Lauren and Claire want the process to be more transparent.

"It's all very cloak and dagger. We get told the very minimum information. Why shouldn't we hear what he's been recalled for?"

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