A convicted murderer who was dubbed the ‘shoe fetish killer’ should be moved to open prison, the Parole Board has ruled.
Christopher Farrow, 61, was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 18 years in 2000 for the rape and murder of mother-of-two Wendy Speakes, 51.
Farrow, who was 33 at the time, broke into Wendy’s home in Wakefield and tied her up with a pair of stockings before raping her and stabbing her to death.
Jurors at his trial were told he put a pair of high heels on display during the attack because he liked ‘looking at shoes when having sex’.
Farrow was previously moved to an open prison in 2018 when he reached his minimum term, but was sent back the following year after being identified as a person of interest in cold case investigations.
He has since been denied parole three times, most recently in 2023 when he was deemed to have ‘outstanding treatment needs’.
Detectives have since told the Parole Board he is no longer linked to those cases.
At a hearing in February 2025, the Parole Board heard Farrow had completed sessions with a psychologist, and an accredited programme to address offence-related sexual thoughts.
The panel heard he had ‘developed insight into his risk factors and had gained skills in custody linked to his emotional management and problem solving’.
But the board decided he should be transferred to open prison instead of being freed altogether.
A decision summary from the Parole Board read: ‘The panel noted that the index offence was a brutal, sexual, and violent attack.
‘Although Mr Farrow had completed extensive work in custody to explore his offending behaviour, the panel considered that it was only his recent work that had allowed professionals to say that he had shown insight into his offending.
‘Release was not supported by witnesses and the panel was not satisfied that release at this point would be safe for the protection of the public.
‘However, on considering the criteria for recommending placement in open conditions, the panel recommended that Mr Farrow should be progressed in this way.’
A final decision whether to implement the Parole Board’s recommendation will be taken by Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood.
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