‘No peace’ for woman’s family despite release of killer being reversed

High Court Blocks Release of Killer Who Withholds Mother’s Burial Location

Traveloasisspot.com – A father who murdered his wife in Wiltshire more than two decades ago will remain behind bars after a High Court judge overturned the Parole Board’s decision to set him free. The ruling comes as Glyn Razzell continues to refuse to reveal where he buried Linda Razzell, leaving her family without closure after 24 years.

Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb quashed the Parole Board’s April decision to release Razzell on licence, finding that he remained “fundamentally dishonest” and was actively withholding information that could provide comfort to the victims of his crime. The judge concluded that imprisonment was still necessary to protect the public from a man who demonstrated “inherent vulnerabilities” including a strong “need for control” and a “propensity to violence against women.”

A Family’s Ongoing Struggle

Catherine Razzell, the daughter of the victim, expressed relief at the court’s decision but emphasized that the legal battle was far from over. Speaking on Friday, she described her father as someone who was “continuing to do our family harm” even from within prison walls.

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.

The emotional toll on the family has been substantial. Catherine noted that while they welcomed the High Court’s intervention, the process itself was part of her father’s ongoing abuse. “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,” she explained.

She added that the family did not wish for her father to die in prison. Instead, they wanted him to acknowledge his actions, demonstrate genuine remorse, and finally reveal where Linda’s body lay so they could lay her to rest properly. “There is no peace for us until that happens,” Catherine stated firmly.

The Legal Journey

Glyn Razzell received a life sentence in 2003 with a minimum term of nearly 16 years for the killing of his estranged wife. Despite this, he has consistently denied being responsible for the murder. The Parole Board had initially determined in April that he could be released on licence, but the Ministry of Justice referred the case to the High Court, arguing that the release would undermine public confidence in the parole system.

Before reaching this point, Razzell had been denied parole three times since 2019. A Parole Board panel in 2023 found that he “does not want to lose his desired status of being a ‘wrongly convicted murderer’.” While the April panel acknowledged “serious doubts” about his honesty and identified a “very significant” risk in the context of relationships, they concluded this risk was “not imminent” and believed he would comply with licence conditions because he was “strongly motivated not to return to custody.”

Helen’s Law and Its Significance

The case has been examined under Helen’s Law, legislation named after Helen McCourt, who disappeared on her way home from work in 1988. This law requires the Parole Board to consider whether a killer has refused to disclose where they hid their victim’s body when making release decisions.

Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb highlighted in her ruling that Razzell’s refusal to disclose the location of Mrs Razzell’s body had caused “profound anguish,” which “suggests an inability or unwillingness to appreciate the impact upon the other victims.” She also noted that given his failure to carry out any substantive risk reduction work, he remained “the same man he was when he killed Linda” in terms of internal controls.

The Ministry of Justice has the authority to refer a Parole Board’s decision to release a prisoner to the High Court when it believes the release would undermine public confidence in the parole system. The court must then be satisfied that imprisonment is no longer necessary for the protection of the public before overturning such a decision.

What Comes Next

Razzell, who lives in Crewkerne, Somerset, opposed the bid to block his release at a hearing earlier this week. The High Court’s decision means he will remain incarcerated until he can demonstrate that he has addressed the concerns raised by both the Parole Board and the court.

For the Razzell family, the ruling provides temporary relief but does not resolve the fundamental issue. They continue to wait for the one thing that would bring them peace: the location of Linda’s remains and a genuine acknowledgment from her killer of what he did. Until then, as Catherine Razzell made clear, there remains no peace for a family still grappling with the aftermath of a murder that happened more than two decades ago.