Northumberland killer Steven Ling recommended for release

Mrs Soulsby says the decision to allow his release has shocked her and her family.

“I’m just worried sick for the safety of women and girls on the streets that this man should be in the community,” she said.

“If he sees a pretty girl walking down the street what’s he going to do? He might not reoffend straight away, but he will reoffend.

“We heard a lot of shocking things at the parole hearing in July, it’s just the way this man is wired.”

In the Parole Board’s decision summary, it said it had considered the circumstances of Ling’s offending, the progress made while in custody, and a risk management plan before concluding “imprisonment was no longer necessary for the protection of the public”.

The panel said his release would be subject to a set of standard licence conditions imposed on all offenders released under supervision and additional licence conditions imposed by the Parole Board.

These include being subject to GPS tracking for 12 months, restrictions on the use of electronic technology and exclusion zones to avoid contact with the victim’s family.