A man who murdered his wife but has never disclosed the location of her body will no longer be freed from prison, the High Court has determined.
Murder and Disappearance
Glyn Razzell was found guilty in November 2003 of killing his estranged wife Linda Razzell in 2002. The mother-of-four had vanished on her journey to work at Swindon College, Wiltshire, the previous year during divorce proceedings. Her body has never been discovered.
Razzell was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2003 with a minimum term of almost 16 years following the killing. The Parole Board determined he could be freed on licence in April, but the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) challenged the decision at the High Court.
Legal Challenge and Family Appeals
This was despite the obligation to consider a prisoner's refusal to disclose where their victim's remains are located. At a hearing earlier this week, lawyers for the MoJ argued the Parole Board had failed to properly evaluate Razzell's risk, and that the decision to release him should be overturned. The MoJ further argued that Razzell's release could damage public confidence.
Mrs Razzell's family and loved ones also appealed to the court to prevent the release, with her cousin Julie Westmore stating the family "will not feel safe". She expressed the family's concern that "all hope of ever finding Linda's remains will be lost" if the killer is released.
Linda Razzell's partner Greg Worrall told the court that Razzell was exercising "coercive control over people even in death". Razzell, who was present at the London hearing, fought against the move, with his legal team arguing before the court that there were no grounds to reverse the decision.
Court Ruling and Background
He continued to protest his innocence throughout previous parole hearings, insisting he had no knowledge of what had become of Mrs Razzell and that he remained unconvinced she had died. He was found guilty after traces of her blood were discovered in a vehicle he had borrowed.
In a ruling delivered on Friday, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb overturned the Parole Board's decision, declaring that she was "not satisfied that it is no longer necessary for the protection of the public that Glyn Razzell be confined". She stated: "I am not persuaded that the risk has diminished to such a level that offender management is capable of keeping the public safe if the defendant is released."
Razzell, who has spent the past nine years in an open prison, had previously been unsuccessful in three parole bids before his most recent hearing. This included a 2021 hearing in which he became the first individual to be refused parole under Helen's Law - legislation that compels the board to take into account a killer's refusal to disclose the whereabouts of a victim's body when considering their release.
Speaking via video link at the High Court on Thursday, Mr Worrall said: "We have rebuilt our lives based on the fact [Razzell] cannot harm us any more." He noted that throughout Razzell's numerous parole applications, he could "show remorse" and reveal the location of Mrs Razzell's remains, adding: "we need an end to this ongoing agony."
