MAN DENIED PAROLE IN KINGSTANDING CHILD MURDER CASE
Update: A man who kidnapped and murdered a two-year-old girl more than four decades ago died from natural causes, an inquest has heard.Robert Astley died from sepsis after sustaining a burn to his left thigh which became ulcerated while under the care of HMP Norwich on the 27/12/2023.
He had been serving life in prison for sexually assaulting and murdering Denise Bradbury after he abducted her from her home in Kingstanding, Birmingham, in 1983.
The coroner said the 64-year-old refused medical care and was taken to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital three days later, where he died.
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In a recent development, Robert Astley, the convicted child murderer responsible for the tragic death of a two-year-old girl in Kingstanding, has been denied parole by the Parole Board.
The decision comes after a thorough review of his case, which has spanned several decades since his initial sentencing.
Astley, who was 23 years old at the time of the crime, was convicted in 1983 for the brutal murder of Denise Bradbury.
The heinous nature of his crime involved sneaking into her home in Kingstanding, where he subjected the young girl to a violent sexual assault before ultimately killing her.
Following the murder, Astley disposed of her body by placing it in the back of a car in Sparkhill, an act that further underscored the brutality of his actions.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years, a sentence that reflected the severity of his crime.
Astley was incarcerated at Full Sutton prison, a maximum-security facility designed to house the most dangerous offenders.
Over the years, he has served a total of 18 years behind bars, with his case being reviewed multiple times by the Parole Board.
His latest review, which was his 11th, took place last year, but the panel decided that he would remain in custody.
The Parole Board's decision was based on a comprehensive assessment of his behaviour in prison, the progress he has made, and the risks he continues to pose.
The panel stated, “After considering the circumstances of his offending, the progress made while in custody and the evidence presented in the dossier, the panel was not satisfied that Mr Astley was suitable for release.” Furthermore, the panel did not recommend transferring Astley to an open prison, citing concerns about his ongoing risk to the public.
They emphasized that key areas of his rehabilitation still required attention and that his current secure environment was necessary to manage the risks associated with his case.
The panel concluded that the potential benefits of moving him to less restrictive conditions were outweighed by the remaining dangers he posed, and therefore, he would continue to serve his sentence in a high-security setting.
