Luton murderer Karl Oakley loses bid to move to open prison

But in a judgment handed down on Monday, Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, sitting with Dame Victoria Sharp and Lord Justice William Davis, rejected Oakley’s appeal and said the Ministry of Justice’s decision to reject the Parole Board’s recommendation was “entirely rational”.

Baroness Carr said the Ministry of Justice “considered the panel’s recommendation in detail and carefully” and the department said he would need to receive further training in prison before he could be transferred.

The court heard a panel found Oakley had “complyed with clear terms” in 2021, but this was rejected by the Ministry of Justice. Another offer was made in 2023 and was rejected again in another decision made in February 2024.

Baroness Carr said: “The Secretary of State must consider the panel’s recommendations carefully and give it appropriate weight, given the nature, scope and context of the panel’s findings and recommendations.

“But the legal scheme is clear: the Secretary of State is the sole decision-maker and the board acts as an advisor.”

In 2010, Oakley’s minimum prison sentence was reduced to 12 years on appeal.