Jeremy Bamber will stay in max security prison for murdering his family of five after losing his bid to be downgraded
MASS murderer Jeremy Bamber will stay in a max security prison for killing his family of five – after losing his bid to be downgraded today.
The 59-year-old is serving life after being found guilty of murdering his adoptive parents, sister and nephews.
He killed Nevill and June, both 61, his sister Sheila Caffell, 26, and her six-year-old twins Daniel and Nicholas at White House Farm, Essex, in August 1985.
He has always protested his innocence and claims Ms Caffell, who suffered from schizophrenia, shot her family before turning the gun on herself.
Cops initially believed she had killed the four others before turning the rifle on herself – but Bamber’s girlfriend, Julie Mugford, later told them that he had confessed to the killings following their break-up.
Forensics then realised the rifle used in the murders was too long for Sheila to use on herself, and that it was unlikely that she would have managed to shoot herself twice in the head.
Bamber was caged for life without the possibility of parole in October 1986.
He hoped to get the High Court’s permission to try and overturn a decision made by the director of the long-term and high security estate to not downgrade him from a Category A prisoner. But was denied the request today.
In his judgment, Mr Justice Julian Knowles said: “I have concluded that permission must be refused on the basis that neither of the grounds of challenge advanced on behalf of the claimant is arguable.”
Category A prisoners are considered the most dangerous to the public and held in maximum security conditions.
At a remote hearing in October, lawyers for Bamber asked Mr Justice Julian Knowles to grant permission for a full hearing of Bamber’s challenge, arguing the decision was “unreasonable”.
DENIED
In written documents, Bamber’s barrister Matthew Stanbury said an independent psychologist’s report, commissioned by Bamber’s solicitors, found he had met the test for downgrading a Category A prisoner.
He added the max security conditions were “no longer necessary” for managing Bamber.
Mr Stanbury argued the decision not to downgrade Bamber from Category A was “unreasonable” as it “substantially misrepresented” the opinion given by the independent psychologist.
The Ministry of Justice opposed Bamber’s action – which is the latest in his long-running battle to clear his name.
He had an appeal against his convictions dismissed by the Court of Appeal in 2002, and also had a High Court challenge to the Criminal Cases Review Commission’s (CCRC) refusal to refer his case for another appeal rejected in 2012.
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Bamber is currently one of around 75 prisoners in the UK serving a life sentence behind bars.
He’s a category A prisoner in HM Prison Wakefield, Yorkshire.
He has worked as a peer partner, which involves helping other prisoners to read and write, winning several awards for transcribing books in the prison’s Braille workshop.