Man who killed ex with knife loses open jail bid

A man who killed his ex-girlfriend in a "frenzied" knife attack has lost a bid to be moved to an open prison.

Karl Oakley, of Luton, was given life and a minimum tariff of 15 years in 2009 after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of 18-year-old student Taylor Burrows, on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

He had challenged the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) over its decision to refuse him a move to open conditions in the Court of Appeal.

At a hearing in October, lawyers argued the Parole Board had recommended he be transferred to an open prison because there was "no further work" for him to carry out inside a closed jail.

But in a ruling on Monday, Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, sitting alongside Dame Victoria Sharp and Lord Justice William Davis, dismissed Oakley's appeal and said the MoJ's decision to reject the Parole Board's recommendation "was entirely rational".

Baroness Carr said the MoJ had "considered the board's advice in detail and with care" and that the department said he must undertake further courses in prison before he could be transferred.

The court heard a panel found Oakley was "suitable for open conditions" in 2021 but this was rejected by the MoJ. A further bid was made in 2023, which was again refused in a further judgment in February 2024.

Baroness Carr said: "The Secretary of State must consider the advice of the board with care and accord it such weight as is appropriate, given the nature, extent and context of the board's findings and recommendations.

"But the statutory scheme is clear: the Secretary of State is the sole decision maker, and the board acts as adviser."

In 2010, Oakley had his minimum jail term reduced on appeal to 12 years.

Oakley and Ms Burrows started a relationship in spring 2008 and he was banned from her family home when she started missing classes at Luton Sixth Form College.

In 2009, the court heard he became increasingly violent and had threatened to kill her the week before her death.

He also had previous convictions for harassing and assaulting other girlfriends.

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