Woman whose father murdered her mother in 1985 but won’t reveal where he buried her body says he should NEVER be freed from prison as he prepares for his parole hearing
- Sam Gillingham appeared on This Morning to talk about her mother’s murder
- Russell Causley murdered Carole in 1985 but never revealed location of body
- As Causley, now in his 80s, applies for parole, Sam said he should never be freed
A woman whose father murdered her mother in 1985 has said he should ‘never’ be released from prison ahead of his parole hearing next week
Sam Gillingham, who was just 16 years old when her mother went missing from their home in Bournemouth, appeared on ITV’s This Morning with her dog Charlie to talk about her fight to keep her father Russell Causley behind bars after he was convicted in 1996 of killing his wife Carole Packman 11 years earlier.
Causley, now in his 80s, has never revealed the location of Carole’s body.
Speaking to presenters Holly Willoughby and Phil Schofield today, Sam said her father’s parole hearing will be the first to be heard in public – although she added she wanted even more transparency.
She argued that, as long as he refuses to reveal the location of Carole’s body, he should not be released.
Sam recalled how, after Carole first disappeared, she thought her mother had walked out on the family after home life had become ‘unbearable’ for her.
She has previously revealed how she came home from school to find a note, supposedly written by her mother, which said she was leaving the family. Her wedding ring had also been left behind.
She said: ‘Unfortunately my father was having an affair and that lasfy was living in the family home along with my mother and myself.
‘That had been the situation for best part of a year.’
Russell Causley with wife Carole, who was also known as Veronica, and daughter Samantha. Date unknown
Sam appeared on This Morning ahead of her father’s public parole hearing, at which she will argue he should never be released from jail
Sam added she was used as a ‘lookout’ by Causley, who made her watch at the window and tell him when Carole – whose real name was Veronica – was coming home, so he could distance himself from his mistress.
‘My mother literally walking out; I accepted it and could see how that could happen,’ Sam explained.
However, despite things being ‘volatile’ in the months leading up to Carol’s disappearance, Sam said many aspects of family life were fairly ordinary.
She said: ‘Everybody was still working and mixing together… Everyone was still going to work.’
Causley was only convicted of his wife’s murder after he was jailed in 1996 for trying to fake his own death in Guernsey to defraud his insurance company.
In a blow to the family, his conviction was quashed in 2003 but he was convicted once more in a retrial the following year.
Sam recalled how her father covered up the murder and told his daughter in 1987 that Carole had gone to a police station shortly after her disappearance to say she was safe, but she wanted nothing more to do with her family.
Dr Sohom Das, a forensic psychiatrist (right) said killers often refuse to reveal where their victims are buried in order to maintain control
Sam Gillingham and son Neil hold a picture of Veronica as they campaign outside Parliament for Helen’s Law
The alleged confession is similar to a letter Causley wrote in 2016, claiming it was how he killed his wife Veronica (pictured) but then retracted
As Causley’s parole hearing approaches, Sam noted that he was released from prison in 2020 but was recalled last year after failing to keep in touch with his offender manager.
‘I do not think that he should have been released two years ago,’ she said.
‘You have murder and you have murder with compounding circumstances.’
Sam added it was a ‘really positive step forward’ that the parole board is engaging with the public in allowing people to listen into hearings – however she said people have to apply to attend and there are still parts of the hearing that will not be open.
Sam has previously spoken of her support for Helen’s Law, which places a legal duty on parole boards to consider the cruelty of killers who refuse to give the location of a victim’s remains.
The Law is named after murder victim Helen McCourt, who was murdered by Ian Simms, who never revealed the location of her body.
Forensic psychiatrist Dr Sohom Das said murderers who don’t reveal the location of their victim’s bodies are attempting to ‘keep control’ of the situation.
He said: ‘In this case it’s very unlikely that [Causley] is going to disclose where the body is.’
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