'Sadistic' child killer given right to remain anonymous

A man convicted of the "sadistic" murder of three children 30 years ago has been granted the right to anonymity while he is being considered for release into the community.

The High Court in London banned the press from identifying the man, known as "M", after hearing that his progress in prison had been exemplary. His crimes are said to belong to the "most serious and sadistic category of murder cases" ever tried by a British court. Despite press objections, the judge ruled the man's identity should remain secret as decisions were made by the parole board on whether he was safe to free on licence.

The order means that if he is resettled, he is likely to be entitled to a new identity and life. Similar orders have been granted to the child killer Mary Bell and to Maxine Carr, who was convicted of perverting the course of justice during the police investigation into the Soham murders.

At his trial for the killings in the early 1970s, the trial judge recommended "M" serve at least 20 years.