David Harker, 51, bragged about murdering mother-of-four Julie Paterson and eating her remains with cheese and a bowl of pasta
A killer has been refused parole after he bragged that he had eaten parts of his victim with a plate of pasta David Harker, now 51, killed mother-of-four Julie Paterson, 32, in Darlington in 1998 with just some of her remains have ever been found.
He is serving a life sentence after admitting manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. It emerged Harker had told friends and psychiatrists that he had fried part of her thigh and eaten it with pasta and cheese.
He has now been refused parole for the ninth time.
He has been eligible for parole since 2013 and this month a ninth hearing was held to determine whether he should be freed or sent to an open prison.
The Parole Board said it was still not considered safe to allow him to be released or to be transferred, based on the continuing need to protect the public.
Harker was 24 when he was sentenced in 1999.
Psychiatrists agreed he had a severe psychopathic disorder when he killed Ms Paterson, meaning he was not guilty of murder.
The Parole Board said the law required Harker’s case to be assessed regularly.
A report into his recent behaviour found that his behaviour in custody had “significantly improved”, with no disciplinary findings since 2015.
Previous decisions have been made using documents but the latest, ninth, heard oral evidence.
Harker did not attend or make representations.
The panel considered a dossier containing 356 pages of reports, including submissions on behalf of the Secretary of State arguing against release.
It heard from the person responsible for managing Harker in jail, two probation officers who would be responsible for managing him in the community, a psychologist and someone who worked with him on a programme in prison.
While the person who worked with him on the programme was not allowed to recommend a course of action, the others said Harker did not pass the test for release.
In its conclusion, a Parole Board summary of the decision said: “The panel carefully analysed all the evidence and formed its own independent assessment of risk.
“It decided not to direct the release of David Harker, nor to recommend to the Secretary of State that David Harker should be transferred to open conditions.”
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