Glyn Razzell: Killer who will not reveal location of victim's body cannot be released from jail, High Court rules

A man who killed his estranged wife but has never revealed where her body is can no longer be released from prison, the High Court has ruled.

Glyn Razzell was convicted in November 2003 of murdering 41-year-old mother-of-four Linda Razzell, who disappeared on her way to work at Swindon College, Wiltshire, the previous year amid divorce proceedings.

Their daughter Catherine Razzell told Sky News after Friday's ruling that his decision not to reveal the location of her remains means "there is no peace for us", adding he was "continuing to do our family harm".

The Parole Board ruled three times from 2019 that Razzell, 66, should remain behind bars, but in April decided he could be released on licence.

This was despite it being required to consider an inmate's refusal to reveal where their victim's remains are.

The Ministry of Justice referred the board's decision to the High Court, arguing it should be reversed on the basis it could undermine public confidence.

After a two-day hearing over the legal challenge, the court has ruled Razzell must stay behind bars.

Catherine Razzell told Sky News her father "still to this day has demonstrated very little engagement with rehabilitative processes".

"We still don't know where our mother's body is," she said. "And so it was a very difficult day when we heard that, despite those factors, he'd been released."

Ms Razzell added her family "will always hope" that one day they will "get the truth that we deserve".

In a statement following the High Court ruling, Ms Razzell said the decision was a "relief" to her and her family, and that her father's continuing decision not to disclose the location of the remains was "cruel".

She said: "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."

In her ruling, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said she was "not satisfied that it is no longer necessary for the protection of the public that Glyn Razzell be confined".

She said: "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."

She also said that the plan to manage Razzell's release "relies on trust that has not been earned".

What is Helen's Law?

The obligation to consider a convict's refusal to reveal the location of remains is known as "Helen's Law", after Helen McCourt.

She was killed in 1988 but her murderer, Ian Simms, never disclosed where he put her body. He was released in 2020 and died in 2022.

Razzell, of Crewkerne, Somerset, denied murdering his estranged wife but was convicted after traces of her blood were found in a car he had borrowed.

Her body has never been recovered but he was sentenced to a minimum of 16 years and for the last nine years he's been in an open prison.

The Parole Board said he is no longer a danger and not revealing where the body is cannot be a bar to releasing him.

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However, government lawyers told the court he is still a danger. Ms Razzell's family argued he should not be released until he reveals the whereabouts of her remains.

Razzell lost a parole bid three times before his latest hearing, including in 2021 when he became the first person to be denied under Helen's Law.

Appearing via video link at the High Court on Tuesday, Linda Razzell's partner at the time she was killed, Greg Worrall, said: "We have rebuilt our lives based on the fact [Razzell] cannot harm us any more."

He said that Mrs Razzell's family had "picked up the pieces of our shattered lives" with the support of friends and family, and "found love and purpose in our new lives" despite a "sadness which will always be there".

(c) Sky News 2026: Glyn Razzell: Killer who will not reveal location of victim's body cannot be re