UK’s ‘most notorious paedo’ Sidney Cooke who killed boy & organised rape of children could be back on streets in MONTHS
ONE of the UK’s most notorious paedophile's could be back on the streets in just three months.
Convicted child molester and serial killer Sidney Cooke has launched a fresh bid for freedom and will appear in front of a parole board on May 3, The Sun can reveal.
Cooke, who was sentenced to life behind bars, will then hear the result within weeks - paving the way for either a move to a cushy open jail or even release.
The paedo, nicknamed Hissing Sid, is one of the UK’s oldest prisoners at age 95.
He has already been rejected by the parole board 10 times - meaning he has spent an additional 17 years over his minimum tariff.
The parole board in May will look at “what risk he presents” if released, as well as “any evidence of behaviour change” during his time behind bars.
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However, they will also look back at the “harm” he caused and the “impact the crime has had on the victims”.
Cooke was part of a horrifying paedo ring known as the Dirty Dozen which traded in the abuse of young boys in the 1980s.
He was convicted of manslaughter for his involvement in the horrifying sex-fuelled killing of schoolboy Jason Swift in 1989.
The 14-year-old vanished from his east London home and it was later revealed gang members had paid £5 to gang rape the teen.
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His naked body was then found buried on a farm in Essex in November 1985.
Cooke was sentenced to 19 years but was released in 1998 - sparking national outcry.
However, just one year later he was rearrested for abusing two boys on 10 occasions in the 1970s and thrown back in jail – where he has remained ever since.
In October 2021, he was rejected by a parole board for the tenth time.
He was also refused a request to be moved to an open prison.
Cooke has long been suspected of being among those who murdered seven-year-old Mark Tildesley in Berkshire in 1984.
The youngster disappeared at a funfair and it was claimed Cooke had lured him away with the promise of a 50p bag of sweets.
But Cooke was never prosecuted for Mark’s murder as he was already in prison.
The Dirty Dozen are believed to have been behind the deaths of at least nine boys, including Barry Lewis, six, who was snatched, sexually abused and then killed in 1985.
A Parole Board spokesman said: "An oral hearing has been listed for the parole review of Sidney Cooke and is scheduled to take place in May 2023.
“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.
“Members read and digest hundreds of pages of evidence and reports in the lead up to an oral hearing.
“Evidence from witnesses including probation officers, psychiatrists and psychologists, officials supervising the offender in prison as well as victim personal statements are then given at the hearing.
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“The prisoner and witnesses are then questioned at length during the hearing which often lasts a full day or more.
“Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.”
