A mum has told how she has her three children “in my head all the time” after they were brutally murdered 50 years ago.
Elsie Urry told the BBC how she has “had to live” with the trauma of her kids being murdered by David McGreavy dubbed the “Monster of Worcester” ever since.
McGreavy was 21 when he killed the siblings on Friday April 13, 1973.
He was a lodger at the Worcester home of barmaid Elsie and husband Clive Ralph, and babysat their kids Paul Ralph, four, Dawn, two, and nine-month-old Samantha, for two years without incident until the horrific murders.
Ms Urry, who now lives in Hampshire, has told how Christmases are particularly difficult for her.
"I don't celebrate Christmas, I don't do anything like that because I can't, it's too upsetting," she told the BBC.
"When they have parties and Christmases I can't go and mix, it upsets me too much."
She told how she visits the graves of her children as often as she can and they are always in her head.
"I've just had to live with it ever since. I've got it in my head all the time," Ms Urry added.
Paul had been strangled, Dawn was found with her throat cut, and Samantha died from a compound fracture to the skull.
McGreavy, a family friend and lodger, then impaled their bodies on the spiked garden railings of a house in Gillam Street, Rainbow Hill.
He claimed he killed the children because one of them would not stop crying, and was sentenced to life for the murders in 1973.
McGreavy was jailed for life with a minimum term of 20 years after a trial which lasted just eight minutes because he pleaded guilty and did not claim diminished responsibility.
And Ms Urry was told in June 2019 that the murderer of her children had been released from prison.
"He shouldn't have been let out. He took three lives, not just one. They said it was for life so why not keep him in there?" the 72-year-old told BBC Hereford and Worcester.
She also claimed that she had been told he would never be freed.
A document from the Parole Board about McGreavy's case referred to a victim personal statement from the victims' mother, "setting out the devastating effect that these deaths had on her and still do have".
The document, that was put together before his release, said that over the 45 years in custody, McGreavy has changed "considerably".
It added: "He has developed self-control, as well as a considerable understanding of the problems that he has had and what caused them.
"The psychologist identified a number of factors which make it less likely that Mr McGreavy will reoffend in future.
"These included his improved self-control and the fact that Mr McGreavy has learnt to remain calm in stressful situations.
"He has also shown himself to be compliant and co-operative with authority, which suggests that he will comply with licence conditions.
"A network of supportive friends in the community was also identified as a protective factor."
The Parole Board said: "We can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board has directed the release of David McGreavy following an oral hearing.
"Parole Board decisions are solely focused on whether a prisoner would represent a significant risk to the public after release.
"The panel will have carefully looked at a whole range of evidence, including details of the original evidence and any evidence of behaviour change.
"We do that with great care and public safety is our number one priority."
