The daughter of Linda Razzell, who was murdered by her estranged husband Glyn, has said his decision not to reveal the location of her mother's body means “there is no peace for us”, after the High Court quashed the Parole Board's decision to release him on licence.
Catherine Razzell said on Friday her father was “continuing to do our family harm” and was “actively choosing to be controlling and abusive from within prison” after murdering mother-of-four Mrs Razzell in Wiltshire in 2002.
Court quashes release decision
Glyn Razzell was jailed for life with a minimum of almost 16 years in 2003 for the killing, with the Parole Board deciding in April he could be released on licence.
The Ministry of Justice referred the case to the High Court seeking to have it reversed, with Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb quashing the decision on Friday after finding Razzell was “fundamentally dishonest” and “continues to withhold information that he could deliver up”.
Daughter's statement
In a statement following the ruling, Catherine Razzell said the decision was a “relief” to her and her family, and that her father's continuing decision not to disclose the location of the remains was “cruel”.
She said: “By choosing to withhold the only information that could provide us with some comfort and closure, and preventing us from being able to hold a funeral for our much-loved mother, he is clearly demonstrating he is still abusive – retaining power over the situation and prioritising his narrative, where he can deny killing her, despite being found guilty and given a life sentence.
“To our knowledge, he is of sound mind and knows what he is doing, so there is no reason for him to be released while he is still actively choosing to be controlling and abusive from within prison.
“However, it is important to recognise that while we welcome the decision made today, part of my father's abuse is that, as a family, we have to go through this process.
“As well as experiencing the most devastating loss of my mother, 24 years later we are still in court trying to keep the rest of our family safe from a man who is continuing to do our family harm.
“None of us want my father to die in prison; what we want is for him to acknowledge what he has done, show remorse and tell us where our mother's body is so that we can finally lay her to rest.
“There is no peace for us until that happens.”
