Glyn Razzell: man convicted of killing wife to face strict checks if released
A man convicted of murdering his estranged wife more than 20 years ago faces stringent restrictions if he is finally released from prison, ranging from having to inform the authorities if he begins a romantic relationship to not selling his story to a newspaper or documentary maker.
Glyn Razzell, who is in prison for murdering his wife, Linda Razzell, in 2002, has insisted at a Parole Board hearing that he would pose no risk if he is freed but has been told he will face wide-ranging checks.
A two-day parole hearing is taking place at the open prison where Razzell, now 64, is being held.
On the opening day of his hearing on Thursday, one of the first to be held in public, Razzell repeatedly said he did not kill his wife, believes she is still alive and intends to try to track her down to prove his innocence if he is released.
The panel went into private session on Friday and will be looking in detail at restrictions that may be imposed if he is freed.
Among the conditions Razzell’s community offender manager has suggested to the panel include him wearing an electronic tag and living in a halfway house subject to a curfew after his release while he finds his own accommodation.
Razzell, who had begun an affair with a younger woman before he killed his wife, told the board that he had no intentions of beginning any new intimate relationships. But if he does, he is likely to have to disclose this to those managing him in the community.
Exclusion zones that he will not be allowed to enter around places associated with Linda Razzell’s family including parts of the south-west of England and Wales are likely to be put in place.
He may also be forced to disclose his vehicle and mobile phone details – and only have one mobile and one Sim card.
Razzell may also be forbidden from contacting the media with a view to selling his story – and report any approaches from journalists or film-makers.
The panel is likely to make its decision within a few weeks. A major stumbling block for Razzell remains that he is refusing to admit his guilt and reveal the whereabouts of mother-of-four Linda Razzell’s body.
He was repeatedly given the chance during the hearing to admit his guilt and allow his children to bury their mother’s remains.
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The panel made it clear that they would take into account the so-called Helen’s law, which makes it harder for killers who refuse to say where a victim’s body is to be freed.
But he continued to avow his innocence and even made the extraordinary claim that Linda Razzell framed him by planting incriminating evidence in a car he had used.
He said: “I don’t know where Linda’s remains are. I don’t even know she’s dead for sure. I understand the anguish that my children and Linda’s family feel. If there was anything I could do to help with that, I would, particularly for my children. I don’t know where her remains are. I don’t even know if she is dead.”
Linda Razzell vanished aged 41 after dropping off her new partner and heading into work at Swindon College. At the time she and her husband were getting divorced and he was upset at the settlement she was set to secure.