Victor Farrant: Ministry of Justice accused of “downplaying” campaign to keep murderer behind bars

Victor Farrant, now 74, murdered 45-year-old Glenda Hoskins at her Port Solent home on February 7, 1996. Farrant, 46 at the time of the murder, was given a whole life term for the “ruthless, callous and evil act” in Sennen Place and told by judge Mr Justice Butterfield at the 1998 Winchester Crown Court sentence: “You will never be released.”

But “master manipulator” Farrant who was also jailed for 18 years for the attempted murder of 45-year-old sex worker Ann Fidler in 1998, is hoping to be released from jail on compassionate grounds due to his terminal illness. A Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) meeting took place on Wednesday to consider the case for Farrant’s release despite a vigorous campaign from Mrs Hoskins' three children Iain, Katie and David to keep him behind bars until he dies.

Speaking to The News following yesterday’s potentially crucial meeting, an MoJ spokesperson again insisted that “no formal application has been made” and said the MAPPA meeting “plays no role in the decision” over whether to release Farrant. The spokesperson added: “It is just to assess his risk.” The MoJ said any final decision would rest with the secretary of state.

But Iain poured scorn on the development, saying the MAPPA meeting would “play every role in the decision” before adding: “It could make a recommendation over whether to release him. They are downplaying the role of the meeting like they have been downplaying the whole thing.

“Their previous statement (saying there had been no formal application for release) was designed to kill our original story. It’s crazy. They are doubling down.”

Iain said they remain in the dark over what happened at the meeting and the outcome it could potentially lead to but “expect the response to be incredibly vague”. “They are being very careful about what they are telling us,” Iain added.

In a letter presented to the panel, Mrs Hoskins’ family described their objection to Farrant’s release, stating: “Victor Farrant is an incredibly dangerous man with a hatred of women – if he is sick and dying then I’m afraid this makes him even more dangerous. What has he got to lose by killing/raping again if he knows he has only months to live.”

Iain told The News they learned that letter could be put before Farrant, adding to their anxieties. “The letter really does put our heads above the parapet. It is a concern for our safety given that we have done everything we can to keep him inside,” he said.

“This is a vengeful man with a short fuse who showed no remorse or realisation of the horrors of what he caused. Us going so public would be to our detriment if he is released.” 

Farrant, who lived in North End, was jailed for 12 years in 1988 for raping a woman and causing her grievous bodily harm as well as attacking another female with a bread knife. He met Mrs Hoskins on day release from prison in 1993, two years before his release from behind bars in 1995. 

A month after his release on December 27, 1995, Farrant went to visit sex-worker Ms Fidler in Eastleigh before attacking her with bottles and an iron. Less than six weeks later he killed Mrs Hoskins. 

In the letter to the panel, the family added: “It’s shocking that the justice system is even considering this – you cannot overturn a judicial ruling. Justice Butterfield said that he should never be released, in the knowledge Farrant would die in prison. Him dying in prison, either of natural causes or a terminal illness was how his sentence was ruled in 1998.

“It appears grossly unjust if he is getting released early due to ill health – and the words ‘compassionate release’ make my blood boil. Our mother was raped and murdered and subjected to months of terror and stalking by this vile creature – where’s her compassion? He raped and drowned her and rolled her body up in a carpet for her daughter to find.”

Penny Mordaunt, MP for Portsmouth North and leader of the House of Commons, has written to the justice secretary Alex Chalk saying that she believed Farrant “should never be released”. She wrote: “He is a danger to women and has demonstrated repeatedly that he cannot be reformed.

“I find it deeply troubling that a man such as Mr Farrant is being considered for release on compassionate grounds when it is evident, he displayed no compassion towards his victims. I am writing to ask that you take an interest in this case. I would also ask that the concerns I have enclosed from those involved in Glenda’s case are also considered, carefully and in the spirit with which they are intended.”