Overview
- Stuart Diamond, detained at Ashworth under the Mental Health Act since 1999 for murdering 17-year-old Christopher Hartley, faced his first Parole Board oral hearing on January 22, with no decision issued.
- The hearing was held in private after a judicial member accepted arguments that public proceedings posed a very real danger to Diamond’s physical and mental wellbeing.
- A February 2025 tribunal ordered a deferred conditional discharge, so any move to community living still requires approved care arrangements and a separate Parole Board finding that risk can be managed.
- Christopher Hartley’s relatives gave evidence and oppose any release, citing Diamond’s refusal to disclose what he did with the victim’s head as evidence of enduring risk and lack of remorse.
- The family has launched a petition seeking reform of parole rules for offenders held in high-security hospitals, as the Ministry of Justice and Parole Board stress that any release decision will be based solely on public risk.