Application for a public hearing in the case of Andrew Cole
You will find below the summary of an application for the oral hearing in the case of Andrew Cole to be made public
Applies to England and Wales
Documents
Details
The Parole Board has received an application from Wendy Crompton for the Parole Board hearing in the case of Andrew Cole to be heard in public. The reasons for the application are summarised below:
- That the open justice principle applies in this case.
- The case has a number of special features, including a double murder conviction.
- This case has received substantial media and public attention, with much of the background already in the public domain.
- There is a continuing public interest in understanding how the Parole Board assesses risk for recalled offenders.
- Any concerns from the prisoner should not outweigh the public interest and that privacy and safety concerns can be managed through safeguards such as reporting restrictions or closed sessions for sensitive evidence.
- The Applicant advocates for a hybrid approach to the hearing.
- The Applicant and her victim’s family strongly supports a public hearing and has sought greater transparency for many years.
Anyone wishing to submit representations on this application should do so by sending the attached Proforma for Representations to public.hearings@paroleboard.gov.uk
The deadline for any representations to be made is 2pm on Thursday 17th September 2026.
The Parole Board has also received an application from application from Susan Szablewski for the Parole Board hearing in the case of Andrew Cole to be heard in public. The reasons for the application are summarised below:
- Public protection is at the heart of the hearing. The case concerns whether the prisoner can be safely released into the community and involves convictions for a double murder.
- The seriousness of the original offences warrants public scrutiny and creates a legitimate public interest in understanding how risk is assessed before release.
- There is a strong public interest in transparency and open justice. A public hearing would allow greater understanding and scrutiny of the parole decision-making process.
- The prisoner was previously recalled to custody for breaching licence conditions, with concerns that the behaviour leading to recall was similar to behaviour linked to the original offences.
- The previous release and recall raise questions about whether risk can now be safely managed in the community and whether proposed risk-management arrangements can be relied upon.
- Changed circumstances justify reconsideration of an earlier refusal of a public hearing, particularly concerning uncertainty over the existence of a lifelong anonymity order.
- The views of victims and their families support a public hearing and should be given appropriate weight by the Parole Board.
- Private hearings are perceived as offering less transparency and accountability, leaving victims feeling excluded from the process and reducing confidence in the justice system.
- The threshold for granting public hearings is considered too high, despite victims’ rights reforms, resulting in very few hearings being held in public.
Anyone wishing to submit representations on this application should do so by sending the attached Proforma for Representations to public.hearings@paroleboard.gov.uk
The deadline for any representations to be made is 12.30pm on Friday 02 October 2026.