Murderer who stabbed his son’s girlfriend to death released from jail weeks before 25th anniversary

A killer who carried out the brutal sexually-motivated murder of his son’s girlfriend has been released from prison. The Parole Board has confirmed that Stephen Hughes has been allowed out

of jail on licence just weeks before the 25th anniversary of the murder of 18-year-old Rachel Barraclough. A judge who sentenced Hughes to life after he was found guilty at a trial in 1998

described the killing as a “wicked wicked crime” and told him: “I hope you never get out.” Hughes, now aged 70, has always refused to admit his guilt and has always declined to take part in

programmes to address his risk. A Parole Board summary states: “The panel examined the release plan provided by Mr Hughes’ probation officer and weighed its proposals against assessed risks.

“The plan included a requirement to reside as directed initially in designated accommodation as well as strict limitations on Mr Hughes’ contacts, movements and activities. “The panel

concluded this plan was robust enough to manage Mr Hughes in the community at this stage.” Rachel’s death on September 5, 1997, shocked the community in Wakefield and was dubbed ‘the tow

path murder.’ Hughes, from Eastmoor, Wakefield, was aged 46 when he lured the teenager to an isolated spot near the River Calder before sexually assaulting and killing her. Jurors heard how

he telephoned her at her home in Bradford from a call box down his street to persuade her to come to the city on the pretext of reuniting her with her estranged boyfriend – his son Carl. His

lies were caught out by CCTV footage which showed him walking with Rachel after meeting her off a bus. The video pictures showed in detail all of Rachel’s final movements as she took her

last steps in Wakefield city centre. She was last seen walking side-by-side with Hughes as they headed towards the towpath by the River Calder near Heath Common. Two hours later Hughes was

caught on camera coming back from the same spot – alone. Rachel’s mutilated body was discovered on the secluded path almost 24 hours after she was last seen on the closed-circuit cameras.

She had been sexually assaulted, stabbed in the stomach four times and her was throat slashed. Hughes, a Mormon, was described in court as a “pathological liar.” Rachel, described as a

reliable, conscientious church-going teenager, trusted Hughes and was considering going with him to the Mormon church. She was besotted by the defendant’s son and would have done anything

for him – as detailed in her diary accounts, in which she wrote: “I love him like I’ve never loved anyone before,” In his defence, Hughes, claimed he had lied because he was scared he might

be implicated in her death He told the court: “You could say I’m soft-hearted. Rachel asked me to walk her down there and I said ‘Yes’.” Throughout the trial he denied the murder, claiming

that he “wasn’t even there” when the prosecution suggested he had pulled a knife on her. Former Det Sgt John Holt, speaking after the trial, said what made the offence so horrendous was the

amount of planning by Hughes. She said: “He preyed on a young girl he knew trusted him. He took her to a place where he carried out his evil deed.”