Stuart Diamond murdered 17-year-old Christopher Hartley by strangling and dismembering him in 1997, but has never disclosed where the teenager’s severed head is located
Stuart Diamond, a man who brutally murdered 17 year old Christopher Hartley in 1997 and has since refused to disclose the location of the teenager’s decapitated head, has been deemed safe for release. Diamond lured the teenager to a flat on December 30, 1997, where he strangled and dismembered him.
Christopher’s mutilated remains were discovered in a bin behind a hotel. Diamond was subsequently convicted of the murder and detained at Ashworth High Security Hospital in Maghull, Liverpool under the Mental Health Act, reports the Liverpool Echo..
During his sentencing, the judge warned: “It is clear you are a very dangerous young man. The most anxious consideration will be given as to whether it will ever be safe to release you.”
Despite serving beyond his minimum sentence, Diamond remained behind bars largely due to the relentless efforts of Christopher’s mother, Jean Hartley. She told the Liverpool Echo last week that her son’s murderer had never provided them with closure by revealing the location of Christopher’s severed head.
In February 2025, Diamond was granted a deferred conditional discharge by a mental health review tribunal, indicating that arrangements for community care were yet to be established. However, the now 48 year old Diamond appeared before the Parole Board last month, where it was determined that further imprisonment was no longer necessary for public safety.
He is now set to be released back onto the streets of the north west, subject to stringent licence conditions imposed by the Parole Board.
Parole documents obtained by the Liverpool Echo reveal that the panel identified several risk factors that could increase the likelihood of Diamond reoffending. Diamond informed the panel he had been carrying a kitchen knife because of growing paranoia and acknowledged he had needed support.
He also discussed the devastating effect the crime had on the victim’s family, and the panel determined he had demonstrated “significant victim empathy”, according to the documents. The panel noted that during the period of Diamond’s offending, he was misusing drugs and alcohol and “had been willing to involve himself in violence and to act without thinking about the consequences”.
The panel concluded: “In this case, protective factors, which would reduce the risk of reoffending, were considered to be Mr Diamond’s improved ability to manage violent situations and the fact that there had been a lack of evidence of violence for a number of years. Mr Diamond had also developed a sense of structure and routine in his life.”
The documents reveal that Diamond had been assessed through independent living arrangements and had been granted unescorted community leave. He has previously spent periods in the community on overnight stays.
Ms Hartley, who resides in Kirkby, told the Liverpool Echo last month that Diamond’s crimes had inflicted “unimaginable suffering”. She said: “I still to this day have nightmares – it has destroyed my whole family.”
Ms Hartley added: “I hate Diamond. I can’t forgive him for putting my family through hell.”
Christopher was raised in Burnley before relocating to Blackpool, where he secured employment at the seaside resort’s Pleasure Beach.
On the day he was killed, he had left his sister’s house and encountered Diamond, who had relocated to Lancashire from Ireland.
Diamond’s 1999 trial heard how the killer strangled and smothered Christopher before dismembering his body into three pieces in the bathroom shared by residents of the flats. Police discovered blood stains and tissue in the property, along with Diamond’s fingerprint in Christopher’s blood on a stool leg.
The jury dismissed his claims that drug dealers had carried out the killing to frame him for the crime. Diamond fled to Ireland following the murder and was extradited to face trial.
It later emerged Diamond had two prior convictions for violence, including an 18-month stint in a young offenders’ institution after slashing a man’s face with a knife.
A psychiatric assessment from an earlier conviction revealed Diamond had fantasised about committing murder. He had been released on licence just weeks before he killed Christopher.
Ms Hartley told the ECHO that Diamond’s absence of remorse and agonising refusal to admit his guilt meant he should never have been freed from prison. She added that if he were ever released, she would live in constant fear of coming face-to-face with her son’s killer.
Following the hearing, the parole panel concluded: “Mr Diamond had completed necessary work to address identified risk factors and areas of his life that had impacted on his behaviour towards others. The panel noted there was no ongoing evidence of problematic behaviour, emotional instability, poor compliance or pro-violent attitudes.”
Diamond’s release conditions include:
- To comply with requirements to reside at a designated address, to be of good behaviour, to disclose developing relationships, and to report as required for supervision or other appointments.
- To submit to an enhanced form of supervision or monitoring including a specified curfew.
- To comply with other identified limitations concerning contacts, activities, residency and an exclusion zone to avoid contact with victims.
- To continue to work on addressing defined areas of risk in the community.
Christopher’s family have previously voiced concerns that a killer shouldn’t be freed into society if they’ve never spent any time in a mainstream prison. Current legislation permits those convicted of murder to apply for parole directly from high-security psychiatric facilities.
Ms Hartley questioned: “How can he be fit to live in the community if he has never been fit to be in a normal prison?”.
The bereaved family have launched a petition demanding changes to UK parole laws for those found guilty of murder. Their online campaign states: “While mental health care is vital for the rehabilitation of offenders, it must not replace the core principle of accountability for serious crimes such as murder. Allowing parole without prison time undermines justice, erodes public confidence and places additional emotional strain on victims’ families.”
A representative for the Ministry of Justice informed the ECHO: “Being held in a psychiatric hospital does not change the minimum time a life-sentence prisoner must serve before they can be considered for release. The offender’s liberty is restricted, and they must complete treatment before any return to prison or release into the community.”
