A sadistic killer who stabbed a woman 60 times during sex, will face a public parole hearing on Tuesday.

Stephen Ling, a farm worker, was sentenced to life imprisonment in December 1998 after confessing to the murder of 29-year-old Joanne Tulip in Stamfordham, Northumberland, on Christmas Day the previous year. Although a charge of rape was also filed, it was left on record without a conviction.

In 2022, then-justice secretary Dominic Raab overruled a Parole Board recommendation to transfer Ling to a lower-security prison, citing public protection concerns. This was the first time of Mr Raab personally intervening in such decisions for high-risk offenders.

Ling's earlier request for a move to an open prison was similarly blocked by Ministry of Justice officials in 2020. Ms Tulip's mother, Doreen Soulsby, who campaigned against Ling's transfer, expressed her relief at the decision, saying that many people could not believe an offender like Ling would be considered for an open prison.

Initially ordered to serve a minimum of 20 years, Ling’s term was reduced to 18 years by a High Court judge in 2009. During sentencing at Newcastle Crown Court, Mr Justice Potts highlighted the sadistic nature of Ling's crime, saying, “You inflicted appalling injuries on (Ms Tulip) while you were having sexual relations with her. I’m also satisfied that there was in your motivation an aspiration of sadism,” and added, “You will never be released so long as it is thought you constitute a danger to women.”

The parole hearing, scheduled for Tuesday (July 16), will be publicly accessible, with proceedings live-streamed from the prison where Ling is held, allowing press and public members to observe.