Killer who stabbed woman 60 times is recommended for release

A slayer who stabbed a pistillate 60 times during enactment has been cleared to beryllium freed by the parole board.

Steven Ling, a workplace worker, was jailed for beingness successful December 1998 aft murdering Joanne Tulip, 29, successful Stamfordham, Northumberland, connected Christmas Day a twelvemonth earlier.

Ling was initially ordered to service astatine slightest 20 years down bars, but successful 2009 a High Court justice chopped the minimum word to 18 years.

Ms Tulip's mother, Doreen Soulsby, has condemned the decision, calling Ling "a precise unsafe man".

A nationalist parole proceeding was held successful July, though Ling was allowed to springiness his grounds successful private.

Two psychologists gave grounds to that proceeding recommending Ling's merchandise from situation connected a hazard absorption plan.

One of the psychologists said she believed the hazard Ling posed was "not imminent" and was "manageable successful the community", adding: "I judge that present means his hazard is astatine a level wherever helium does not request to beryllium kept successful situation immoderate more."

Mrs Soulsby says the determination to let his merchandise has shocked her and her family.

"I'm conscionable disquieted sick for the information of women and girls connected the streets that this antheral should beryllium successful the community," she said.

"If helium sees a beauteous miss walking down the thoroughfare what's helium going to do? He mightiness not reoffend consecutive away, but helium volition reoffend.

"We heard a batch of shocking things astatine the parole proceeding successful July, it's conscionable the mode this antheral is wired."

In the Parole Board's determination summary, it said it had considered the circumstances of Ling's offending, the advancement made portion successful custody, and a hazard absorption program earlier concluding "imprisonment was nary longer indispensable for the extortion of the public".

The sheet said his merchandise would beryllium taxable to a acceptable of modular licence conditions imposed connected each offenders released nether supervision and further licence conditions imposed by the Parole Board.

These see being taxable to GPS tracking for 12 months, restrictions connected the usage of physics exertion and exclusion zones to debar interaction with the victim's family.