One of Britain's most notorious murderers, 84, makes final bid for freedom after serving 33 years in prison

By ELIZABETH HAIGH, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER and ISAAC CROWSON Published: 09:58, 18 July 2026 | Updated: 10:02, 18 July 2026 One of the most notorious murderers in Britain is making his fourth and what could be his final bid for freedom after spending 33 years in prison. Michael Sams, 84, who kidnapped and killed Julie Dart and abducted Stephanie Slater has been referred to the Parole Board for a potential release this year. The bid could be his last chance of freedom after serving 33 years in prison. If the one-legged lifer is turned down again, he could die behind bars. Sams is arguing he should be freed or moved to an open jail after his last bid was rejected. The murder of Julie Dart and kidnap of estate agent Stephanie Slater are among the most shocking crimes in British legal history. His third parole bid was turned down in 2023 after bosses thought he was too dangerous to be released. It came after he was given an extra eight years in 2005 for attacking a female probation officer with a metal spike.  Michael Sams, 84, kidnapped and killed Julie Dart and abducted and raped Stephanie Slater  The panel decided he should not be freed or moved to an open prison, stating a proposed release plan was not 'robust enough' to manage him.  Sams snatched Ms Dart, 18, in Leeds in 1991. He put her in a makeshift coffin before bludgeoning and strangling her to death. In 1992 he abducted and raped Stephanie Slater, 25, but released her after a £175,000 ransom was paid. Sams, from Sutton-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, kept Ms Slater handcuffed, gagged and blindfolded in a box locked inside a wheelie bin. He had used similar means to imprison Julie, 18, before killing her with a hammer. A Parole Board spokesperson said: 'We can confirm the parole review of Michael Sams has been referred to the Parole Board by the Secretary of State for Justice and is following standard processes. '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. Michael Sams abducted and killed 18-year-old Julie Dart in Leeds on July 9, 1991, after luring her into his car in the city’s red-light district, just months before kidnapping Stephanie Slater Estate agent Stephanie Slater was kidnapped at knifepoint while Michael Sams posed as a house buyer in Birmingham and then raped, before he released her for a £175,000 ransom 'Members read and digest hundreds of pages of evidence and reports in the lead up to an oral hearing. 'Evidence from witnesses such as probation officers, psychiatrists and psychologists, officials supervising the offender in prison as well as victim personal statements may be given at the hearing. 'It is standard for the prisoner and witnesses to be questioned at length during the hearing which often lasts a full day or more. Parole reviews are always undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.' In 2023, a Parole Board panel ruled a plan on a possible release for Sams was not robust enough. It included a requirement to live in designated accommodation and strict limits on his contacts. Sams was present for that hearing but decided not to give evidence. He was 51 when he was given a life sentence in 1993 for murdering Julie, who was 18, and kidnapping Stephanie Slater, who was 25. He was ordered to spend a minimum term of 25 years in prison. As well as kidnapping Ms Slater in 1992, he had falsely imprisoned and raped her and demanded a £175,000 ransom for her safe return. Ms Slater, who died of cancer in 2017, was kept at Sams' workshop in Newark-upon-Trent. Sams previously denied killing Ms Dart, but confessed to Detective Chief Superintendent Bob Taylor at Full Sutton Prison in East Yorkshire during his sentence. He admitted using Ms Dart as a 'dummy run' for the kidnapping of Ms Slater, and said he had no intention of letting the younger woman live.