Husband Gordon Wardell who murdered his wife and blamed thugs wearing clown masks is released after 26 years behind bars
A HUSBAND who murdered his wife before creating an elaborate cover-up involving clown mask-wearing robbers has been released from jail.
Gordon Wardell was locked up for life with a minimum of term of 18 years in December 1995 for the brutal killing of wife Carol.
The Parole Board told The Sun Online they directed his release from prison in January 2022 following a hearing the month before.
Wardell, then aged 42, claimed he had been kidnapped by men wearing the novelty masks when he was found bound and gagged in his underwear at the family home in Nuneaton, Warwickshire.
He callously appeared on TV in a wheelchair as he made a bogus appeal for information to catch Carol’s killer.
In reality, Wardell had suffocated his wife before dumping her body in a lay-by.
He then returned home to stage the fake break-in and also stole cash from the car component office where he worked using Carol’s key to gain entry.
The monster immediately aroused suspicion when he appeared at the press conference wearing sunglasses with a blanket draped over him.
He begged: “I’d urge anybody who knows anything about the death of my wife to come forward.”
Wardell then launched into the bizarre web of lies involving clown mask-wearing robbers who had tricked their way into the home.
He claimed was drugged by two of the thugs and lost consciousness, while his wife was dragged to the building society where she worked at knifepoint to withdraw £14,000.
On September 12, 1994, Carol’s body was found dumped close to the family home.
Officers discovered she had been dead for some time, which blew apart Wardell’s timeline of events.
He was found to have strangled Carol before driving to the building society and looting the safe using her security code and keys.
After dumping her body, he returned home and beat himself in the stomach before gagging himself with a ripped sheet and tying his hands and legs to a rubbish bin.
The killer was sentenced to life on December 21, 1995, after being convicted of murder.
Sentencing, Mr Justice Cresswell said at the time: “You are an extremely dangerous, evil and devious man.
“You killed your wife in a brutal manner then cynically attempted to escape detection by going to elaborate lengths to make it appear that your crime was the work of a gang of robbers.
“This murder was an outrage to your wife, her family, and to everybody who knew her.”
The Parole Board said: “We can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board has directed the release of Gordon Wardell following an oral hearing in December 2021.
“Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.”