Mother 'fears for safety of women' as killer who raped and murdered her daughter is set to be freed 'but WON'T be a monitored sex offender due to legal loophole'
The mother of a woman who was raped and murdered has said she fears for the safety of women as he wont be a monitored sex offender when he is released.
The mother of a woman who was raped and murdered has said she fears for the safety of women as he wont be a monitored sex offender when he is released.
Steven Ling has been behind bars for 26 years for the brutal killing of Joanne Tulip, 29, who was stabbed 60 times at his home on Christmas Day in 1997.
The farm worker has previously admitted to raping Joanne, but was never convicted of the offence after the judge allowed the charge to lie on the file by the trial judge in 1998.
This means that when he is released he wont be given the same strict restrictions as other rapists, as he wont have signed the sex offenders register.
Joannes mother, Doreen Soulsby, has said she fears that women will not be safe when he is released and disagrees with the Parole Board which determined earlier this year that he should be freed.
Joanne Tulip (pictured) was brutally murdered by Steven on Christmas Day in 1997 at his home in Stamfordham, Northumberland
The killer, pictured here in his police mugshot, admitted to raping and murdering Joanne, but was only convicted of the latter offence
Appearing on Good Morning Britain today, Ms Soulsby said she didnt believe Ling had changed despite two psychologists recommending he be freed on a risk management plan.
I really fear for the safety of women, she told hosts Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley.
He confessed to it [rape] and even in prison he admitted he raped [Joanne].
The judge at the time chose not to put the rape to court through the trial because the murder was the greater offence.
Hes not a convicted sex offender and the attack was sexually driven.
When asked by Richard Madeley if, like the parole board, she believes he could have changed, Ms Soulsby said: No. I believe its the way his head is wired because from the age of 12 years he was doing funny things in the village and known as a weirdo. Sexual things and its just escalated. A year before Joanne he tried to get in a girls house.
Although the exact date which Ling will leave prison is not known, he is set to regain his freedom after a parole hearing in July this year.
His release will be subject to a standard set of licence conditions imposed on all offenders released under supervision and additional licence conditions imposed by the Parole Board.
This includes informing the authorities of any relationships he might develop, being subject to monitoring and a curfew and staying out of an exclusion zone to avoid contact with his victims family.
However, he will not have to sign the sex offender register as he was not convicted of rape, despite admitting to police he had sexual intercourse without consent with Joanne.
Doreen Soulsby says she is fearful for the safety of women after Steven Ling had his bid for parole approved
Joanne, pictured here holding a spaniel puppy, was stabbed 60 times by Ling in a frenzied attack
During his trial the judge agreed with the defence that it would be an abuse of court process to allow the prosecution to pursue the rape charge, instead allowing it to lie on the file.
Ms Soulsby fought for a decade to change the law, insisting that sexual offences were tried alongside murder to close the loophole surrounding monitoring on their release.
With the help of her MP she succeeded in changing the law - but it came too late make any difference in Lings case.
In July this year the Parole board recommended the killer, who had carved images including swastikas and crosses into Joannes body during the brutal murder, for release.
Ms Soulsby has been fighting against Lings release, previously saying it would be a nightmare if he were freed.
She said she was absolutely appalled and disgusted by the decision — and she remains convinced Ling will strike again.
That man committed horrific offences against my daughter and yet is deemed to not be a high risk and is safe to be released from prison. Its outrageous, she said.
How can the Parole Board believe this man doesnt pose a danger to society when he took my daughter away from her family by committing the most brutal and sadistic crimes?
Ling needs to stay locked up behind bars — he is a danger to all women and girls.
Doreen Soulsby has said it would be a nightmare if her daughters killer was released into the community
The recommended decision to release Ling into the community is a betrayal to not only Joannes family but to the families of other victims in similar situations — how can they have faith in our justice system when victims get outcomes like these?
She successfully persuaded Dominic Raab, then the justice secretary, to block Lings attempt to move to an open prison in 2022.
In July the Parole Board heard that in Ling is preoccupied with sex and feels that he is entitled to it.
Ling has demonstrated this through sexual feelings and conducting sexual acts in prison, including writing his sexual fantasies in a journal, it was heard.
He was 23 years old when he murdered Joanne, a hairdresser, at his home in Stamfordham, Northumberland. He is now 49.
Ms Soulsby earlier this month: He has missed all his young adult life socialising with women and having a physical relationship. I fear the first thing he will do when he gets out of prison is to try and socialise with women again.
I strongly believe this man could offend again.
The Government is supposedly committed to halving violence against women and girls. If they are true to their word then they will block this recommendation and will keep Ling in a closed prison.
They must do everything they can to ensure women and girls are kept safe from this sadistic man. I just hope and pray the Justice Secretary takes this on board before considering any Parole recommendation for Lings release into the community.
If Ling is released and the Justice Secretary does not take action, there will be public outcry and confidence in the justice system will be severely damaged and will never be restored.
Ms Soulsby has been campaigning to keep Stephen Ling in prison and convinced then Justice Secretary Dominic Raab to block efforts to move him to an open prison in 2022
The Parole board has now recommended he is safe for release after hearings in July.
Two psychologists recommended that Ling should come out and placed on a risk management plan.
Psychologist A said she believed the risk he poses is not imminent and is manageable in the community, adding: I believe that now means his risk is at a level where he does not need to be kept in prison anymore.
Psychologist B told the Parole Board: I believe he meets the test for release and no longer needs to be detained for the protection of the public.
The panel heard that a past risk assessment identified a number of factors that led to him attacking Ms Tulip which included preoccupation with sex, sexual interest in indecent exposure, capacity to use force to secure sexual gratification, entitlement towards sex and a negative attitude towards women.
The assessment also identified issues in Lings own self-worth and self-esteem.
Both psychologists agreed that there was no evidence of an enduring interest in inflicting violence to achieve sexual gratification.
Asked if he appreciated the gravity of his offending on Ms Tulip and her loved ones, psychologist A said Ling discussed it quite regularly, which can be helpful in deterring him from straying into unhealthy thoughts.
Psychologist B said: He will refer to himself as a monster when talking to me.
He has talked about the struggle to come to terms with the person he was that night, leading up to it as well.
I agree that I think it helps occasionally to revisit the enormity of the index offence to avoid complacency.
Questioned on why Ling used so much violence in his offending in 1997, psychologist B said: There was both a panic, a desire to get away with the crime, and there was a kind of rage that erupted that was about her, about women, about his life, about himself and he absolutely lost control.
Psychologist A added: I think the areas of risk that we do understand well in regards to attitude towards women, a desire for revenge and humiliation, the sex and rape fantasies... those factors combined with that extreme emotional reaction, linked to the triggers that we have discussed just now, give an explanation for that behaviour.
In its published decision, the Parole Board panel said: The panel was satisfied that imprisonment was no longer necessary for the protection of the public.
MailOnline has contacted the Ministry of Justice for comment.
