Cannibal killer who 'ate victim with pasta' refused parole for ninth time
A convicted killer who bragged about eating parts of his victim with a bowl of pasta has been denied parole for the ninth time.
David Harker, 51, killed mother-of-four Julie Paterson, 32, in Darlington in 1998. To this day only some of her remains have been found.
Harker is currently serving a life sentence after pleading guilty to manslaughter on diminished responsibility grounds.
It later emerged that he had told both friends and a psychiatrist that he fried part of Paterson's thigh and eaten it with pasta and cheese after killing her.
Harker was 24 when he was sentenced in 1999, after psychiatrists agreed he had a severe psychopathic disorder which meant he could not be found guilty of murder.
He has been eligible for parole since 2013 and this month a ninth hearing was held to determine whether he should be freed or sent to an open prison.
The Parole Board said the law required Harker’s case to be assessed regularly, and a report found that his recent behaviour in custody had “significantly improved”, with no disciplinary findings since 2015.
Nevertheless, the Parole Board concluded it was still not considered safe to allow him to be released or to be transferred, based on the continuing need to protect the public.
The panel considered a dossier containing 356 pages of reports, including submissions on behalf of the Secretary of State arguing against release.
Harker himself did not attend or make representations during the hearing.
It heard from the person responsible for managing Harker in jail, two probation officers who would be responsible for managing him in the community, a psychologist and someone who worked with him on a programme in prison.
While the person who worked with him on the programme was not allowed to recommend a course of action, the others said Harker did not pass the test for release.
In its conclusion, a Parole Board summary of the decision said: “The panel carefully analysed all the evidence and formed its own independent assessment of risk.
“It decided not to direct the release of David Harker, nor to recommend to the Secretary of State that David Harker should be transferred to open conditions.”
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