West Yorkshire mum fears ‘evil’ killer who stabbed her teenage daughter to death in sex attack ‘will do it again’ now he has been released

Hilary Barraclough, the heartbroken mum of Rachel Barraclough, has spoken of her fury at being told by Hughes’ probation officer that the killer has been released from prison on licence.

Hughes lured 18-year-old Rachel to an isolated spot near the River Calder in Wakefield before sexually assaulting and stabbing her to death in September 1997.

The Parole Board approved Hughes’ release last month, despite him never accepting his guilt or attending offender management programmes.

Mrs Barraclough, from Wyke, said: “After all the lies he has told, he must never be trusted. He is a very evil man.

“I would like to see his picture plastered everywhere again so everyone remembers what this man has done.

“He should never be allowed out. When he was found guilty I didn’t think he ever would be.

“I have always said life should mean life.

“I have written letters to the Parole Board whenever he has been up for review.

“But I don’t think it matters what I have to say.

“I was asked if I wanted to go to the hearing but I couldn’t face seeing him. I had enough of seeing him tell his lies to the court all those years ago.”

The great-grandmother said her husband, Malcolm, died in 2017 but her two children feel the same as she does about the Parole Board decision.

Rachel, a trained beauty therapist, began a relationship with Hughes’ son Carl after they met at a nightclub in Bradford at Christmas 1996.

Mrs Barraclough said her daughter was popular and regularly attended St Matthew’s Church, in Bankfoot, Bradford.

After meeting Carl’s family, she trusted Hughes and was considering going with him to the Mormon church.

Rachel’s mutilated body was discovered on a secluded path almost 24 hours after she was last seen on CCTV cameras meeting him.

Mrs Barraclough said: “It makes me angry knowing that he is out and walking around free.

“He has taken my daughter’s life but he is still living and allowed to go where he likes.

“I don’t think he should be allowed out to go anywhere near young women.

“I doubt he will have changed all that much.

“They said in court that he was a pathological liar and I think he still is.

“He will be able to pull the wool over people’s eyes.

“I said to his probation officer ‘mark my words, he will do it again’.

“I would hate for anyone to have to go through what me and my family have gone through because of him.

“I don’t think I have been offered one bit of help and support through this parole process.

“All I got was a text message and a letter to say that he would be released on August 8 and I just saw red.

“They say he is on life licence. But what good is that if he is still free to roam about where he likes with no one to stop him?

“If he is going to be placed in a hostel, people should be told who he is and where he is.

“I just can’t understand how he can be considered safe for release.

“That man continues to deny what he has done and has not done anything to let people assess how much of a risk he is.

“No one knows what is going on in his head.”

Mrs Barraclough said Hughes’ release brought back the horror of Rachel’s murder after almost 25 years.

Jurors at Hughes’ trial heard Rachel and Carl were estranged at the time after he cheated on her but she continued to be ‘besotted’ with him.

Hughes called Rachel at her home in Bradford and lured her to Wakefield by promising to take her to meet his son.

Recalling the events leading up to her death, Mrs Barraclough said: “We were at home when he rang up and spoke to Rachel.

“Rachel said ‘Carl wants to see me’.”

“I said to her ‘I think you are a bit of a fool if you go’.

“But she got dressed up and got a taxi into Bradford.

“That was the last time we ever saw Rachel.

“The following day was Princess Diana’s funeral.

“I remember watching it on TV and thinking that something did not feel right because we had heard nothing from Rachel.

“I called the police but they said there was nothing they could do at the time.”

Mrs Barraclough and her husband returned home from a shopping trip the next day to find the police waiting for them.

She said: “All sorts of things go through your mind but I still remember that deep feeling of horror.

“The police said they had found the body of a young girl.

“They said they had also found a bag with a bottle of pills inside that had our address on it.

“Rachel had been taking antibiotics at the time.

“I knew straight away it was my daughter.

“I will never be able to forget having to go see Rachel in the mortuary. No one should ever have to go though that.

“Not long after we found out that Carl’s dad had been arrested. It absolutely devastated Malcolm. He never got over it.”

When Hughes was found guilty at the murder trial the following year, Mrs Barraclough shouted from the public gallery: “I hope they throw away the key.”

Recalling the Leeds Crown Court case, she said: “We went every day.

“It was so traumatic having to hear what Rachel went through and then to have to sit and listen to him telling lie after lie.

“The victim support officer helped us a great deal at the time.

“But we have had no help from anyone since.”