A bereaved family member of a 78-year-old woman who was brutally killed by her son has requested for the killer’s parole meeting to be made public so that he will have to face public scrutiny
A family member of a twisted killer who stabbed his elderly mother to death in a “violent and sustained assault” is pushing for his parole hearing to be made public so that the sick man will have to face public scrutiny for his grim crimes.
Gary Kirby Iles, who is now in his late fifties, was jailed for life after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of his 78-year-old mother, Sheila Iles, at their shared home in Seymour Road, Staple Hill, Bristol.
Iles, who was 44 at the time of the sentencing back in 2011, was originally charged with murder over the 2009 killing, but prosecutors accepted a plea of manslaughter on the grounds that he had diminished responsibility.
He was ordered to serve a minimum term of four-and-a-half years before becoming eligible for parole consideration after a trial at Bristol Crown Court.
Detective Chief Inspector Gareth Bevan described Sheila’s death as a “violent and sustained assault”, adding that the crime was “all the more horrific” because it had been carried out by her own son.
Now, more than 15 years after the killing, the Parole Board for England and Wales has received an application from Sharon Feay, who is described as “a bereaved family member”, requesting that Iles’ next parole hearing be held in public.
The application argues that the case has meets the threshold for public interest because it involved matricide, which is the killing of one’s mother, and argues that transparency is needed to ensure accountability and public safety.
The submission also refers to allegations of further violence while Iles has been in custody, including an incident involving an elderly inmate.
It states that a public hearing would allow claims of rehabilitation or remorse to be “properly scrutinised rather than assessed in private”.
The Parole Board notice says members of the press and public can now submit representations supporting or opposing the request for a public hearing.
A final decision has not yet been made on whether the hearing itself will be opened to the public nor on whether Iles could eventually be released.
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