Hundreds of people across Wales are sent behind bars every year and, over the years, many of the most evil killers in the country have been sentenced for brutal murders.
Some of the most gruesome murders in Wales were committed in, or by individuals from, Cardiff. Many of these killers have now been brought to justice and are serving lengthy prison sentences - with some set to spend the rest of their lives in jail.
However, some of these convicted murderers could one day be released back into the community. When criminals are convicted of murder, they are sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term.
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Once this term is served, their cases are referred to the Parole Board by the Ministry of Justice, which then decides whether it is safe to release them from prison.
If they are released, they will permanently remain on licence, meaning there are conditions that they must follow.
The Parole Board carries out risk assessments "solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released" and whether or not that risk is manageable.
A panel will examine a range of evidence, including details of the original crime, evidence of behaviour change, and the harm and impact the crime has had on the victims.
Some criminals are deemed too dangerous to ever be released, having committed some of the worst crimes in Welsh criminal history. In these cases, a judge will declare upon sentencing that the defendant will never be released and will instead serve a whole-life tariff.
Below we've taken a look at some of the most notorious killers in Cardiff and when they are potentially up for release from prison.
Jason Richards and Ben Hope
Ben Hope, 46, and Jason Richards, 45, stabbed 17-year-old Aamir Siddiqi at his Cardiff home in a case of mistaken identity in 2010.
The hitmen were each paid £1,000 in "blood money" to murder a middle-aged family man who owed money to a businessman.
The killers, who had both been using drugs, went to the wrong address in Roath in April 2010 and murdered Aamir, who had answered the door to them expecting a visit from his imam for a Koran lesson. The two men immediately attacked him and pursued him into the house as he tried to escape.
Aamir's parents fought to save their son but were also wounded by the killers. You can read the full story of the killing, for which the alleged mastermind remains at large, here.
Hope and Richards were both found guilty of murder by unanimous verdicts and were sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 40 years, at Swansea Crown Court on February 8, 2013.
Hope and Richards will be eligible for parole in 2053. They will both be in their mid-80s.
Sammy Almahri
American businessman Sammy Almahri killed Nadine Aburas in a Cardiff hotel room in a fit of jealousy and fled the country before being discovered in Africa months later.
The 49-year-old businessman strangled Ms Aburas at the Future Inn hotel in Cardiff Bay on New Year's Eve in 2014 and left her body in the room before making his escape. You read the full story of the case here.
Almahri, a fantasist who claimed to be a member of the FBI and that he heard the "voice of God" telling him to kill his victim, travelled to Heathrow Airport before flying to Qatar. He was later arrested in Tanzania on an Interpol warrant.
He pleaded guilty to murder on the second day of his trial and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 17 years at Cardiff Crown Court on November 3, 2016.
Almahri will be eligible for parole in 2033. He will be in his mid-60s.
Leon Clifford, Leon Symons, Peter McCarthy, and Brandon Liversidge
Harry Baker, 17, was murdered by a gang of ruthless killers before his body was left in a shipping container in Barry.
On August 28, 2019, Harry was repeatedly stabbed, stripped, and left for dead at Barry Intermodal Terminal on August 28, 2019. His body was found by workers later that morning.
He had been chased through the streets by seven people before being tracked down by Leon Clifford, 23, Leon Symons, 22, Peter McCarthy, 38, and Brandon Liversidge, 17.
Clifford and McCarthy were from Barry, while Symons was from Ely, in Cardiff, and Liversidge from Caerau.
A trial at Newport Crown Court heard Harry was a drug dealer working in Barry but was targeted by dealers Clifford, Symons, and Liversidge who took umbrage at him trading on their patch.
They and drug users McCarthy and Ryan Palmer, 34, were pictured on CCTV in the intermodal yard, while Raymond Thompson, 48, was involved in the chase but bowed out half way. Lewis Evans, 62, drove the parties to the scene and away after the murder.
An eighth man involved in the actions leading to Harry's death was Nathan Delafontaine, 34, from Cardiff, who pleaded guilty to violent disorder before the start of the trial. Delafontaine was sentenced to 28 months imprisonment.
Ryan Palmer, Raymond Thompson, and Lewis Evans were found guilty of manslaughter.
Clifford, Symons, McCarthy, and Liversidge were found guilty of Harry's murder and were all handed life imprisonment, with minimum sentences totalling 98 years. Clifford will be eligible for parole in 2048, Symons in 2049, McCarthy in 2044, and Liversidge in 2041.
Madog Rowlands
Madog Rowlands murdered his 21-year-old fiancée, Lauren Griffiths, in their Cardiff flat before wrapping her body in bin bags and cling film.
Rowlands, 23, strangled Ms Griffiths to death Glynrhondda Street, Cathays, on April 29, 2019, before buying drugs, setting up a Netflix account, and ordering takeaway food which he ate next to her body.
He didn't call 999 for over 24 hours and, when he eventually did ring the emergency services, he tried to claim that the incident had just happened.
During his trial, Rowlands claimed that he was acting in self-defence when Ms Griffiths experienced a "mental health episode" but this was rejected by the jury.
Ms Griffiths' mother Alison Turner said: “As a family we have lost a precious daughter and sister. Lauren was a quirky, fun-loving character who loved to come home to visit her family and friends. She is missed every day and our family will never be able to understand why this happened. Lauren had plans for the future which have sadly been lost forever.”
Rowlands was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 18 years at Cardiff Crown Court. He will be eligible for parole in 2037.
Jordan Matthews
Jordan Matthews killed his girlfriend Xixi Bi, 24, at their flat in Llandaff, Cardiff, in 2016 after getting "paranoid" that she was being unfaithful.
Matthews, also 24, told Cardiff Crown Court that he had planned to propose to his girlfriend but "lost it” and later admitted: "I punched her pretty hard."
Ms Bi suffered 41 injuries in the attack, including a broken jaw and ribs, and later died in hospital.
Matthews was found guilty by a jury and sentenced to life in February 2017 and told he must serve at least 18 years. He will be eligible for parole in 2035.
Anthony Lowe
Anthony Lowe killed young mother Katherine Smith, 26, after what was supposed to be a date at Tongwynlais Rugby Club.
The 46-year-old, from Riverside, Cardiff, had met Ms Smith on the online dating site Plenty of Fish in September 2017. Lowe had faked his identity to meet Ms Smith, saying he was 10 years younger and his name was Tony Moore.
He stabbed her 33 times, leaving her dead at her home in Ely. After the attack, Lowe took Ms Smith's car and began approaching other women online.
He also texted her mother saying: "You need to send the police to the flat because Katherine is lying on the living room floor dead. I am not talking crap, my name is not Tony Moore, and I am not 37. I am sorry but that won't make up for me killing your daughter."
Lowe pleaded guilty to murder at Cardiff Crown Court in March 2018 and was jailed for a minimum of 18 years. He will be eligible for parole in 2036, when he will be in his mid-60s.
Jeffrey Gafoor
Lynette White, 20, was brutally murdered in Cardiff on Valentine's Day in 1988 in a flat on James Street in Butetown, Cardiff.
Stephen Miller, John and Ronald Actie, Yusef Abdullahi, and Anthony Paris stood trial for her murder in 1990. Mr Miller, Mr Abdullahi, and Mr Paris – the 'Cardiff Three' – were wrongly convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment but were acquitted in December 1992 after the Court of Appeal quashed their convictions.
Advances in DNA technology led to the real murderer, Jeffrey Gafoor, being caught in 2003 - more than 10 years after the five wrong men appeared in court for the murder. Gafoor confessed to stabbing Ms White more than 50 times following an argument over £30.
Gafoor was given a life sentence and ordered to serve a minimum of 13 years, pleading guilty when he was 38. He was moved to an open prison in 2020, 17 years after initially being jailed for the murder.
Malcolm Green
Double killer Malcolm Green was given a life sentence in 1991 for what became known as the 'Body in the Bags' killing.
Green was found guilty of the murder of New Zealander Clive Tully, whose torso, head, and limbs were found in bags. Green’s victim in the case was identified after a newspaper graphic artist produced a computer-enhanced photograph.
The hunt for the murderer launched after the discovery of a torso in Rogerstone, followed a few days later by a head and limbs in St Brides Wentlooge in the marshlands between Cardiff and Newport.
When Green was found, it emerged that he had been only recently been released from another life term for the gruesome murder of a Cardiff prostitute 20 years previously - when the victim had also been cut up.
It was recommended that Green, from Ely in Cardiff, should serve a minimum of 25 years for the murder of Mr Tully, but he was given a whole-life tariff by the then-home secretary. As such, he will never be eligible for parole.
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