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A murderer who never revealed where he hid his wife’s body has refused to brag to inmates about the murder, the first public parole review in UK history heard.
Russell Cousley, who was sentenced to life in prison for killing his wife Carol Packman in 1985, is being questioned about her murder as parole judges prepare to decide if he can be released from prison.
Cousley, 79, admitted he had lied and “constantly changed stories” but denied murdering Ms Packman during a hearing at Lewes Prison in East Sussex.
When asked if failing to tell the truth about the murder was the “coward’s way”, Cousley said: “I don’t think I’m an evil person… I hate it when you say I’m cold-blooded. killer.”
The chairman of the parole panel told the hearing that Cosley had admitted to fellow inmates that he had gassed Ms Peckman and put a bag over her head.
But Cousley said: “None of those conversations ever happened.”
Earlier, the hearing told how Cosley was described by the judge who sentenced him as a “completely ruthless and calculated” killer who “intimidated and dominated” his wife for years.
Kausli admits he ‘lies constantly’
Cousley’s wife Ms Packman disappeared in 1985 – a year after the killer moved her lover into their home in Bournemouth, Dorset.
During the hearing on Monday, Kausli gave a vague account of the circumstances, changing his story several times and admitted: “I lied. I lied constantly. I changed stories constantly.”
He insists that he “loves” his wife but also reveals how he “worships” his mistress, Tricia.
The chairman of the parole panel told Cousley: “Your frequency of events varies over time.
“Your wife’s body has never been found. The exact circumstances of the murder are unclear.”
‘A beautiful day in the garage with my wife’s body’
Kausli claimed that his mistress told him to kill his wife, but he also alleged that he had committed the murder himself and left her with her body in his garage.
He said: “I am now at my house in Bournemouth with my wife’s body in the garage on a beautiful summer’s day.”
He told the panel that disposing of dead bodies was worse than murder.
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The killer’s parole hearing will be held in public for the first time
Relatives, members of the public and journalists watched the proceedings on a live video link from the Parole Board’s offices in London’s Canary Wharf.
Only the killer’s voice was heard after a request not to appear on camera was granted.
Parole hearings had previously always been private, often held in prisons, with victims and other observers allowed limited access in rare circumstances, but the rules were changed in July.
The decision comes after ministers pledged to improve transparency in Parole Board decisions following a public outcry over a directive to free London taxi driver rapist John Warboy.
Speaking after Monday’s hearing, Cousley and Ms Packman’s daughter Samantha Gillingham said the public parole review process was “invaluable”.
She said: “There is nothing worse than going through the parole process without really knowing what is being said behind closed doors.
“It was very difficult without any information. Today, for the first time, I really have an understanding of what happens.”
Mrs Gillingham added: “I have been asking for years to speak to my father.
“I was the one who demanded restorative justice, but I haven’t heard anything since March this year. I’m looking forward to talking to my father.”
Cousley and Ms Packman’s daughter Samantha Gillingham spoke to the media after the hearing
After the murder in 1985, Kausli initially evaded the police by faking his death as part of an insurance scam. He was convicted of murder in 1996 but acquitted by the Court of Appeal in 2003.
He was convicted again after a second trial.
Cousley was released from prison in 2020 after serving more than 23 years for murder but was remanded in 2021 after breaching his license conditions.
A panel of three parole judges is now considering more than 650 pages of information, including a victim impact statement, to decide whether he can be released.
The hearing continues.
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