A farm worker who killed a woman in Northumberland, UK, in 1997 has been set free by the parole board.
Steven Ling was convicted of killing 29-year-old Joanne Tulip in December of 1997 in a particularly gruesome way: he raped her and then stabbed her 60 times during the violation. He was convicted and jailed one year later.
Ling’s initial sentence was 20 years minimum in prison, but the UK’s High Court reduced his term to 18 years.
Tulip’s mother, Doreen Soulsby, is furious with the parole board and said her daughter’s killer was a “very dangerous man.”
The parole board held a hearing in July in public, but allowed Ling to have privacy to give his evidence. Two psychologists recommended his release to the parole board. One of them said she did not think that Ling posed an “imminent” risk (it is unclear how one could know this) and that he could be “manageable in the community.” In slightly garbled language, the unidentified mental health professional said she doesn’t think Ling is dangerous enough any longer to be kept in prison.
Mother of the victim Doreen Soulsby said she was “worried sick” when thinking about the danger to women and girls now that her daughter’s rapist and murderer is a free man. What if he sees a pretty girl on the street, she asked, “what is he going to do?” Soulsby said she’s convinced Ling will commit a serious crime again. She said some of the information she heard at his parole hearing shocked her, and that Ling is just “wired” to be a violent criminal.
The parole board justified its decision stating that it had taken account of the crime, the alleged progress Ling made while in prison, and had evaluated a community risk management plan should he be released. The board said it was satisfied that Ling did not need to remain locked up in order to protect the public.
Like all parolees, Ling will be required to check in with the board and will be subject to some “supervision,” but it is not clear how any of this could reduce the danger from a man who has already demonstrated how violent and lethal he can be.
