Convicted murderer Russell Causley, who killed his wife Carole Packman in 1985, will become the first prisoner to have a public parole hearing after the UK government lifted the ban on public hearings in England and Wales in July this year.

Mr Causley was released from prison by the Parole Board in 2020 after serving 23 years for the murder but was brought back to jail by the Probation Service in November 2021 for breaching his licence conditions.

The change marks a major step in opening up the parole process, following calls for greater transparency after the subsequently reversed decision to release black cab rapist John Worboys in 2018.

Justice secretary Dominic Raab said: “Pulling back the curtain on the parole process by allowing hearings to be heard in public is a major step forward for victims who want to see justice being done first-hand.

“It marks the first step in our reforms to overhaul the system – putting victims and public protection front and centre of the process.”

Further reforms, including a tougher release test for parole prisoners and new powers for the justice secretary to block the release of dangerous offenders, are also set to be introduced.