Gateshead Police officer's widow hits out at prison system over wait for a decision
The widow of a police officer, murdered by a man in Gateshead in the 90s, is hitting out at the prison system, as she waits for a decision over whether her husband's killer will be moved to an open prison
The widow of a police officer, murdered by a man in Gateshead in the 90s, is hitting out at the prison system, as she waits for a decision over whether her husband's killer will be moved to an open prison.
Paul Weddle, now 56, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 25 years in 1994 for the murder of Sergeant Bill Forth in Gateshead.
The father-of-two, who had been a police officer for 14 years, was called to a potential domestic disturbance after Weddle smashed the window of a house where his ex-girlfriend was babysitting with her new boyfriend.
Having consumed alcohol and drugs including Temazepan, Weddle hit the officer with a piece of fencing before stabbing him multiple times.
Mrs Merrin said she was expecting a decision, delayed by the Christmas break, to be made in January, but has since been told it will take weeks due to new legislation that has come into place.
She says that no one warned her or her daughter that there might be delays, and accused parole staff of treating them like an inconvenience.
"It's the fact that you're not informed. When you are, it's all last minute. I can tell that we are just an utter inconvenience.
"You can tell whenever you have an interaction that they're not happy that they have to do this, but they know they have to.
"The delay just feels like the last straw. I can't be the only one who's had this kind of problem.
"I appreciate that means he's not going anywhere, but that's not what this is about.
"This is about the process and the additional angst and strain it puts on families."
A Parole Board panel recommended in November that Weddle should be moved to open prison, and it is now up to the Justice Secretary to decide whether to follow that advice.
Mrs Merrin's application to have Weddle's latest parole hearing in public was rejected, partly because most of the proceedings would need to take place in private.
She said: "They must have known that, so why do you put someone through that whole process when you know you're going to turn them down?"
The counsellor and her daughter, who is a nurse, were allowed to read statements at Weddle's private parole hearing in November.
"At the end of our reading our statements the parole board judge thanked me and my daughter for our interest in the case.
"Now that might sound like nothing to you, but that was offensive to me and my daughter.
"Our interest in the case? We are part of it. We weren't happy with that as a comment.
"To me it's not appropriate, we're not nosy bystanders here. I was his wife, and that was his daughter."
The Parole Board and the Ministry of Justice did not comment.