Husband who killed his wife and never revealed where her body is will be FREED from prison
A husband who killed his wife and never revealed the whereabouts of her body will be released from prison after being granted parole.
Glyn Razzell was sentenced to at least 16 years in prison for the death of mother-of-four Linda Razzell in 2002.
Linda disappeared on her way to work at Swindon College in Wiltshire and no trace of her body has been found.
Razzell, from Somerset, was found guilty of murdering his estranged wife in 2003 after a lengthy trial.
At a hearing in January, he was granted parole because the board determined he no longer posed a risk to the public.
Razzell had previously been denied parole three times; this includes 2021, when he became the first prisoner to be denied parole under Hellenic Law.
Under Helen’s Law, it is more difficult for murderers to receive parole if they refuse to disclose the whereabouts of their victims’ bodies.
Before his death, Razzell and Linda were in the process of divorcing, and after the proceedings were finalized, Linda became engaged to another man named Greg Worrall.
Glyn Razzell (pictured) will be released from prison following parole
Linda Razzell (pictured) disappeared on her way to work at Swindon College in March 2002 and no trace of her body has been found
Mr Worrall suggested Linda’s family believed Razzell should not be granted parole until she expressed remorse for her death or provided information about what happened to her body.
Mr Worrall has previously stated that Razzell ‘never showed remorse’ for his actions, which was a criterion for parole.
He said: ‘If he wants to show remorse he should stop saying he didn’t do it, unearth a body and allow his children to be buried.
‘Prison is supposed to be a deterrent.’
In a statement, the Parole Board confirmed that a panel had ordered Razzell’s release after an oral hearing.
He said their decision focused ‘solely on the risk a prisoner might pose to the public if released and whether that risk was ‘manageable’.
Responding to the decision, Linda’s family told the BBC that the parole board had ‘ripped up’ Helen’s Law; This legislation places a legal duty on the Parole Board to account for distress caused by murderers who fail to disclose where their victims are buried.
Helen’s Law was passed after a fight by Marie McCourt, in which her daughter Helen was killed in 1988. His killer was released without revealing his whereabouts.
Razzell (pictured) never revealed the whereabouts of his estranged wife’s body
Bird’s-eye view of police searching for Linda Razzell’s body
However, the parole board noted the ‘ongoing cruelty’ of Razzell’s refusal to reveal the whereabouts of Linda’s remains, but ultimately concluded that he no longer posed a risk to the public.
The Ministry of Justice confirmed it was exploring ways to appeal the decision.
A spokesman said: ‘Officials acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Justice are examining whether there are grounds to appeal the Parole Board’s decision through the reconsideration mechanism.’
Linda was last seen parking her car in Old Walcot, an area of Swindon, in March 2022 after dropping her children off at school in Highworth and Mr Worrall at work.
A search of a car driven by Razzell at the time of his disappearance revealed a significant amount of blood in the trunk, matching that of his estranged wife.
Detectives spoke to 2,600 people, followed up over 2,200 inquiries and took 1,540 statements during their 18-month investigation.
It took a jury at Bristol Crown Court six hours to find Razzell guilty of murder in November 2003.
Following the hearing, Detective Chief Inspector Paul Granger of Wiltshire Police, who led the team that brought Razzell to justice, said: ‘I don’t think Razzell will tell us where the body is and if he does it won’t be for long.
‘He’s an evil, cold, calculating and intelligent man, but he made mistakes and that’s why he got caught.’
Razzell has repeatedly appealed his conviction.
He appeared on BBC’s miscarriage of justice program Convicted in 2018 to prove his innocence.
The program backfired when it failed to find enough clues; Probation chiefs then said it could upset Linda’s grieving family.
He refused to take a lie detector test when asked by the programme’s producers.
