GovWire

A spokesperson for the Parole Board said:Parole Board decision letters are by default private documents and are not published due to the sensitive details they contain. The Parole Board recognises that there may be exceptional circumstances where this needs to be reassessed and views sought from the parties involved. The Chair of the Parole Board may agree by exception to its wider publication.

The Parole Board recognises that the victims who attended the public hearing for Steven Ling, held in July 2024, were unable to hear evidence from him. In the interests of transparency, and to help the victims and the public to better understand the evidence considered by the panel, the Parole Board has sought the permission from the Chair of the Parole Board to publish the full decision letter. Parts of that decision letter have been redacted.

That redacted decision has been shared with the victims directly, and subsequently published on the Parole Boards website.

Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.