'Shoe fetish killer' Christopher Farrow denied parole for third time
A man dubbed the "shoe fetish killer" will not be released after being denied parole for a third time.
Christopher Farrow, 61, was sentenced in November 2000 to life in prison, with a minimum term of 18 years, for the rape and murder of 51-year-old Wendy Speakes at her home in Wakefield.
The random attack happened in March 1994 when Farrow, then 33, forced his way into her house, tied her up with a pair of stockings and made her wear a pair of blue mule shoes he had brought with him.
After raping her, he then stabbed her to death. Her body was found by colleagues the next day.
It took six years before Farrow was finally caught after advances in fingerprint technology allowed a comparison to be made to the partial print found at the murder scene.
Farrow, from Cookridge in Leeds, was previously moved to an open prison in 2018 in preparation for release, but he was returned to a higher security facility two years later after a challenge.
A Parole Board review was held on 8 June - having been adjourned since November last year - to consider whether to release Farrow, but the board confirmed he would continue to be detained.
In its summary the board said Farrow had "outstanding treatment needs".
A spokesperson said: "Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community," they said.
"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."
The decision comes after Mrs Speakes' daughter, Tracey Millington-Jones said releasing Farrow would be "playing Russian roulette" with women's lives.
Tracey Millington-Jones says she still believes her mother's murderer to be a threat to the public
Speaking to ITV News in November last year ahead of the original hearing date, Ms Millington-Jones said: "The danger with Farrow is it's not just the person he's in a relationship with that is at risk, it's any woman - a stranger, someone he has no feelings for, so he sees them as an object and he takes out his anger on them.
"So any woman, whether she's in the street or in her own home, is in danger of Farrow if he's released again.
"This is a very dangerous man and if he does come out he's going to kill again."
Under current legislation, Farrow he will be eligible for a further review in due course, with the date of the next review to be set by the Ministry of Justice.
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