A killer who mutilated and murdered a 15-year-old Nuneaton schoolgirl could soon be moved to an open prison.

A parole board hearing has recommended that Edwin Hopkins should be moved from the ' category A' high risk prison he has been in since he was convicted of the murder of Naomi Smith in January 1997.

CoventryLive understands he is currently still in a high security prison but is due to move to an open prison unless the decision is called in by the Secretary of State.

Hopkins was ordered to serve a minimum of 18 years behind bars before he would be considered for parole. But that tariff ended in 2013.

It has been almost 26 years since Naomi's body was discovered in a playground near her family home in September 1995 after she gone to post a letter for her mum.

Hopkins, convicted at Birmingham Crown Court in 1997, has refused point blank to accept his guilt despite overwhelming DNA evidence.

Andy Freeman, one of Naomi's half brothers, previously told CoventryLive  that the brutality of Naomi's murder should be a key factor into never allowing Hopkins to walk the streets as a free man.

What are open prisons?

Open prisons accommodate 'category D' prisoners whose risk of absconding is considered to be low, or who are of low risk to the public because of the way they have addressed their offending behaviour.

They also house indeterminate and longer-sentenced prisoners who are coming towards the end of their sentence and who have gradually worked their way down the categories.  

They are part of efforts to reintegrate prisoners back into society.

Parole board statement

In a statement, a Parole Board spokesman said: "The Parole Board recommended that Edwin Hopkins is suitable for a move to an open conditions prison following an oral hearing. 

"We will only make a recommendation for open conditions if a Parole Board panel is satisfied that the risk to the public has reduced sufficiently to be manageable in an 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, or in open prison. 

 "The panel carefully examined a whole range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as understood 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.  This was a recommendation only and the Ministry of Justice considers the advice and makes the final decision.

"A move to open conditions involves testing the prisoner’s readiness for future release. Prisoners moved to open conditions can be returned to closed conditions if there is concern about their behaviour.”   

CoventryLive reported on Hopkins' fight for release to an open prison back in August 2018. 

It caused huge upset for the family of the schoolgirl and made them relive the horror they suffered 24 years ago when Naomi's body was in the playground near the family home in September 1995.

She had gone out to post a letter for her mother, never to return.

Her dad Brian found her body later that night in a nearby play area. She had been viciously sexually assaulted and her throat cut.

Her murder shocked not only the entire town but across the nation and has been the subject of a TV documentary.
