Mom ‘horrified’ as her daughter’s killer is recommended for open jail British News

A grandmother is “appalled” at the recommendation that her daughter’s killer be transferred to an open prison – she received the news two days after her husband’s funeral.

Carol Quinn was reacting after parole boards found Phillip Geoffrey Austin had made “progress” while serving a minimum 20-year sentence for killing his wife Claire and their two children.

The recommendation to the Attorney General comes as she mourns the loss of her husband Harry, who she says never recovered from the ordeal of finding their bodies.

Austin, 54, was set to be released on parole after being sentenced to three life sentences for killing his wife, 31, along with their seven-year-old daughter Jade and eight-year-old son Keiren.

He also killed the family’s two pet poodles when he committed the July 10, 2000 murders.

Carol was informed of the decision in a phone call from a parole board liaison officer on Friday last week, two days after she said her final goodbye to her 75-year-old husband.

She told Metro.co.uk the former Royal Navy submarine driver never recovered from the trauma that began when the couple, from Bugbrooke, Northamptonshire, found the bodies at the family home in Standens, about 10 miles away Barn discovered.

He died on April 22 after his condition deteriorated rapidly in hospital.

“It would have been my daughter’s birthday on Tuesday, and then we buried my husband on Wednesday,” Carol said.

“He had been ill for a number of years and was in hospital after a fall, but we didn’t expect him to die.”

“He suddenly fell very, very badly during the night and we were told to come back as soon as possible.” He died at 4:30 am on Saturday morning, my granddaughter Jade’s birthday.

“The stress of the ordeal contributed to his death.”

“Going into a house where he had been so many times before, seeing the kids laughing, and then finding what we found that day, left him on antidepressants for the rest of his life.”

The parole board made the decision after a February 2023 hearing at which Carol’s son, Matthew Golden, and his wife, Vicky, read impact assessments. They traveled from their home in Northamptonshire to HMP Warren Hill in Suffolk, where Austin is being held.

The C category closed prison aims to help some of the most serious offenders in England and Wales to get into open detention centers or be released into the community. After further evidence was collected at the May 16 hearing, the panel found that Austin had “taken extensive action, including accredited programs, to address his abusive behavior.”

Carol said: “I am appalled that the parole board could even consider transferring a triple murderer like this to an open prison, which would be the first step in releasing him back into the community.”

“He may well be making progress as he hasn’t had wives, children or been in a relationship for 23 years.”

“He didn’t have to worry about money or suffer from the pressures that allegedly caused it all.”

“The parole board report states that he has made progress with his drinking problems, but we have never seen any evidence that he has a drinking problem.”

“I don’t think he should be anywhere where he’s going to be able to interact with the general public.” I just hope that if he kills again they will be held accountable because I certainly will blame for it.’

Carol, 74, has sent a letter to Attorney General Alex Chalk asking him not to approve the move. “The day he should be released is the day my daughter and her children can leave their graves and get on with their lives,” she said.

In its decision, the committee said, “The Parole Board declined to release Phillip Austin but, following an oral hearing in May 2023, recommended a move to an open-term prison.”

“This was a recommendation only and the Minister for Justice takes the advice into account before making the final decision on whether a prisoner is suitable for open detention conditions.”

Austin hit Claire in the head with a mallet before strangling her, stabbing her multiple times and leaving her body in the kitchen of their home.

He then used the hammer to beat poodles Dandy and Sooty to death.

The forklift driver had his sights set on the children, picking them up from school and taking them to fish and chips before dosing them with sleeping pills and putting them to bed.

Then he went from room to room and strangled them in their beds.

Carol and Harry, Claire’s stepfather, stormed the house a week later after their grandchildren’s school called to ask why they had stayed away with no explanation.

They discovered Claire’s body in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor before going upstairs and finding the children’s lifeless bodies in their beds.

Austin pleaded guilty to the murders and was sentenced in March 2001 to three life terms with a minimum of 20 years in prison.

Under UK law, murder carries a life sentence, but this may mean the convicted person is released ‘on licence’.

Only life warrants prevent an offender from being released except in “extraordinary compassionate circumstances”.

A Justice Department spokesman said: “Our thoughts remain with the family and loved ones of Claire, Kieren and Jade Austin.”

“We have taken a closer look at the parole board’s recommendations on open prison moves and will be reviewing this case carefully.”

Carol and her niece Sarah Markie started a petition on Change.org calling for life to be life. They say Austin must not “destroy another innocent family” at a relatively young age.

The page has received more than 14,500 signatures so far.

A parole board spokesman said: “We will only make a recommendation for open conditions if a panel of the parole board is satisfied that the risk to the public has decreased to a level that is manageable in an open prison and if a transfer to an open prison is being considered.” may be important in making future decisions about release.

“A transition to open detention conditions involves assessing the prisoner’s readiness for a possible return to the community in the future.”

“Inmates transferred to open detention centers may be returned to closed detention centers if there are concerns about their behavior.”

The board’s goal is to make public safety its “top priority.”

The spokesman said: “Decisions by the parole board focus solely on what risk a prisoner might pose to the public.”

“A panel will carefully review a variety of evidence, including details of the original crime and any evidence of behavior modification, as well as examining the damage caused and the impact of the crime on victims.”

“Members read and digest hundreds of pages of evidence and accounts in advance of an oral hearing.” At the hearing, testimony is then taken from witnesses, including probation officers, psychiatrists and psychologists, officers who oversee the offender in prison, and personal testimony from the victim submitted.

“The prisoner and witnesses are then extensively questioned during the hearing, which often lasts a full day or more.

“Probation tests are conducted thoroughly and with the utmost care. “Protecting the public is our top priority.”

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