A notorious cannibal convicted of killing and partially consuming a mother-of-four has had his request for parole rejected for the ninth time.
David Harker, now aged 51, took the life of 32-year-old Julie Paterson in Darlington back in 1998. To this day, only a portion of her remains have been found.
Harker is currently serving a life sentence, having pleaded guilty to manslaughter due to diminished responsibility. He received his sentence in 1999 at the age of 24.
Psychiatrists concluded that Harker suffered from a severe psychopathic disorder at the time of the crime, which led to the charge of manslaughter rather than murder.
He confessed to friends and mental health experts that he had enticed Ms. Paterson to his residence, where he killed her. Disturbingly, he claimed to have cooked a portion of her thigh, consuming it with pasta and cheese.
Harker has been eligible for parole since 2013. This month, a hearing was conducted to assess whether he should be transferred to an open prison or released altogether, but once again, his plea was denied.
The Parole Board concluded it is still not safe to allow Harker to be released or transferred based on the continuing need to protect the public.
It said the law required Harker’s case to be assessed regularly.
Julie Paterson (pictured) was killed in 1998 by David Harker, who ate her legs after luring her back to his flat
Cannibal killer David Harker (pictured) has been denied parole for the ninth time
A report into his recent behaviour in custody said it had ‘significantly improved’, with no disciplinary findings since 2015.
Previous decisions had been made using documents, however, this time oral evidence was heard.
The panel considered a dossier containing 365 pages of reports, which included submissions on behalf of the Secretary of State arguing against Harker’s release.
It also 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 alongside him on a programme in prison.
The person who worked with Harker on the programme was not allowed to recommend a course of action, and the others said he did not pass the test for release.
Harker was not present and did not make representations.
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.’
Police searched nearby sewers and land for the head, arms and legs of Ms Paterson – that still have not been found
Police searched through tonnes of rubbish at a landfill site in Durham looking for body parts of Ms Paterson
Ms Paterson met Harker in a Darlington pub, where he lured her to his home and the pair had sex.
Harker strangled Ms Paterson and raped her corpse before cutting her leg off and cooking her thigh with pasta, garlic and cheese.
Harker then dragged Ms Paterson’s body to the basement in his block of flats, keeping her there while he chopped off her arms, leg and head over the course of several weeks.
Eventually, he put her partial remains in a bin bag and chucked it into a garden of a house he mistakenly thought was derelict.
Harker was caught after boasting to friends he’d ‘killed a girl called Julie’ but has never revealed the location of the rest of her body.
At the time, officers went through 20,000 tons of rubbish at Coxhoe tip, in County Durham, trawling rivers and ponds and searching sewers, with no success.
Harker admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and was handed a life sentence at Teesside Crown Court in February 1999.
He has 21 days to appeal for reconsideration on the Parole Board’s decision.
