Paedophile child killer Sidney Cooke, 98, likely to die behind bars as 'totally remorseless' predator loses latest bid for freedom

Daily Mail​

5 hours ago

Britain's most notorious paedophile Sidney Cooke has failed in his latest attempt to be freed from jail.
At the age of 96, he became the oldest prisoner to have a parole hearing, during which he was denied freedom or the opportunity to move to an open prison.
He will now likely die behind bars but his sentence has left him 'totally remorseless', a source told the Sun.
The source said: 'Cooke will be devastated, though it is clearly the right decision.
'He is totally remorseless and not rehabilitated at all. People like him will never change.'
Cooke, from Hackney, east London, was convicted of manslaughter in 1989 over the death of 14-year-old Jason Swift.
Leslie Bailey, Robert Oliver and Steven Barrell were also jailed in 1989 for Jason's manslaughter.
Cooke was also named in court as the leader of a paedophile ring, which was linked to the death of Mark Tildesley, seven, who went missing in 1984. His remains have never been found.
Cooke and his gang are suspected of the abduction and killing of 17 boys in the 70s and 80s. Many of these remain unsolved.
Nicknamed 'Hissing Sid', Cooke's gang was known as the 'Dirty Dozen'.
Operating from a flat on the Kingsmead estate in Hackney, east London, the gang hired rent boys or snatched children off the streets and subjected them to sexual torture.
Cooke travelled the country preying on vulnerable youngsters, setting up his children's Test Your Strength machine in fairgrounds and using this as an opportunity to lure boys before drugging them and subjecting them to brutal assaults
He was released from jail in April 1999, after serving nine years for the manslaughter of teenager Jason Swift in 1985.
After his release he was immediately taken into voluntary custody for his own safety. However detectives, convinced he was responsible for other similar unsolved crimes, kept his file open.
Within months Cooke was accused of abusing two teenage brothers he befriended while working on fairgrounds more than 30 years ago. He was also accused of the rape of a young woman.
In an unexpected move during his 1999 trial at Manchester Crown Court, Cooke suddenly changed his plea to guilty and admitted ten offences against the youngsters and subsequently received two life sentences.
Four charges of rape, a further three of indecent assault and one of buggery were left on the court file.
Cooke has been linked to some of the most horrific child sex murders in the last 50-years through his association with Dirty Dozen members Leslie Bailey, Robert Oliver and Steven Barrell.
This latest bid for release was his twelfth parole hearing.
A spokesperson for the Parole Board told the Sun: 'We can confirm that a panel refused the release of Sidney Cooke following a paper review.
'The panel also refused to recommend a move to open prison.
'Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.
'A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims.
'Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.'