A MOTHER has said she will fight to keep her son’s killer behind bars after it emerged that he could be on the verge of release.
Westley Odger died after being stabbed in the neck at a cash machine in Hunwick Road, Colchester, in 2005. He was 27.
Andrew Fredericks was convicted of his murder and jailed for life with a minimum term of 15 years, while his brother Mark was given a seven year prison sentence for manslaughter.
Now a hearing to consider whether the murderer could be released is in the pipeline.
>>>READ MORE: Convicted murderer could be released after serving minimum term of 15 years
Westley’s mother Ann Oakes-Odger launched KnifeCrimes.Org in the wake of her son’s death and received an MBE for her work to educate young people about the dangers of blades.
She has also successfully fought for the minimum tariff for a knife murder to be 25 years and said she will argue that Fredericks should remain locked up.
“I will fight all the way on Westley’s behalf,” she said.
“It might seem like a long time - 15 years - but it is not when somebody you love has been killed in such a way.
“It is not like he has died because of an accident or an illness he had had his life cruelly taken.
“He got that sentence despite having a long criminal history which was exposed in court.
“During the trial he was looking across at us and smirking away.
“The sentence that he got was the main reason I began campaigning for the minimum sentence to be increased.
“Before our campaign there was minimum tariff of 30 years for the murder of someone with a gun but no minimum for with a knife.
“At the time, I was surprised his tariff was so low.
“His brother was convicted of manslaughter and was released after serving half his sentence - three-and-a-half years."
Legacy - Westley Odger
Ms Oakes-Odger said she had already been involved in a pre-tariff review which had seen Fredericks moved to an open prison where he has been allowed to complete qualifications.
“When this happens to your family, you are never free from it,” she said.
“I have been involved since 2016 in a pre-tariff review which would have saw him move to an open prison last year.
“Then I was told there would be a hearing which could see him released entirely.
“He will come out with qualifications which nobody I know would be able to get for free and has been cosseted through the system.
“I appreciate there needs to be a balance between punishment and rehabilitation but is that right?
“I have to psyche myself up for the fight to put together my impact statement but am realistic as to how much weight it will hold.
“If he is released then there will be areas he is excluded from, but how is that going to be monitored properly?
“The whole process for the victims and their families can be very hit and miss.
“I try and take a lot on and protect my family from it but all these things seem to happen on anniversaries.
“Westley’s birthday was only a matter of weeks before he was killed.”
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