A Cannibal Killer’s Ninth Denial of Parole
David Harker, a man who once boasted about eating parts of a mother-of-four with a plate of pasta, has been denied parole for the ninth time. Now 51 years old, Harker was responsible for the brutal murder of 32-year-old Julie Paterson in Darlington in 1998. Despite the passage of time, only some of her remains have ever been recovered.
Harker is currently serving a life sentence after admitting to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. He was just 24 when he was sentenced in 1999. Psychiatrists agreed that Harker had a severe psychopathic disorder at the time of the crime, which led to his not being found guilty of murder.
During his time in custody, Harker admitted to friends and psychiatrists that after luring Ms. Paterson into his home and killing her, he fried part of her thigh and ate it with pasta and cheese. This shocking admission highlights the disturbing nature of his actions.
Harker has been eligible for parole since 2013. This month, a ninth hearing was held to determine if he should be transferred to an open prison or released. The Parole Board concluded that it is still not safe to allow Harker to be released or transferred, citing the continuing need to protect the public. They emphasized that the law requires Harker’s case to be assessed regularly.
A recent report on his behavior in custody noted a “significant improvement,” with no disciplinary findings since 2015. Previous decisions were made based on documents, but this time, oral evidence was heard. The panel considered a dossier containing 365 pages of reports, including submissions from the Secretary of State arguing against Harker’s release.
They also heard from the person managing Harker in jail, two probation officers who would be responsible for him in the community, a psychologist, and someone who worked with him on a prison program. While the individual who worked with Harker on the program could not recommend a course of action, the others stated he did not pass the test for release. Harker was not present and did not make any representations.
In its conclusion, a Parole Board summary of the decision stated: “The panel carefully analyzed all the evidence and formed its own independent assessment of risk. It decided not to direct the release of David Harker, nor to recommend to the Secretary of State that David Harker should be transferred to open conditions.”
Ms. Paterson met Harker in a Darlington pub, where he lured her to his home and the pair had sex. Harker strangled her and raped her corpse before cutting off her leg and cooking her thigh with pasta, garlic, and cheese. He then dragged her body to the basement of his block of flats, keeping her there while he chopped off her arms, leg, and head over several weeks.
Eventually, he placed her partial remains in a bin bag and threw it into a garden of a house he mistakenly believed was derelict. Harker was caught after boasting to friends that he had “killed a girl called Julie,” but he has never revealed the location of the rest of her body.
At the time, officers searched through 20,000 tons of rubbish at Coxhoe tip in County Durham, trawling rivers and ponds and searching sewers, but without success. Harker admitted to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and was handed a life sentence at Teeside Crown Court in February 1999.
He now has 21 days to appeal for reconsideration on the Parole Board’s decision.
