Killer who kept kidnapped woman in coffin 'boasting to lags he'll soon be free'

02 June 2024 , 17:23

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Michael Sams reportedly believes he could soon be free (Image: Press Association)

An “evil” one-legged kidnapper who beat a woman to death when she tried to escape him has reportedly bragged he is confident of being freed after decades behind bars.

Michael Sams took 18-year-old Hannah Dart captive in 1991, keeping her in a coffin before she attempted to escape him, when she was beaten to death in a botched ransom attempt. Six months later he kidnapped Stephanie Slater, 25, at knifepoint when she turned up to show him around a house in January 1992. He had posed as a prospective buyer wanting to be shown around an empty property in Great Barr, north-west Birmingham.

She endured a horrific ordeal at his hands over eight days before she was freed when her boss at the Shipways estate agency handed over a £175,000 ransom. Sams was later jailed for life for kidnapping Stephanie and murdering Julie.

Stephanie Slater was taken hostage in 1992 by Sams (SWNS.com)

Michael Sams, pictured in 2012, could be freed (PA)

He was denied parole last year for the third time, but a source revealed he believes fourth time will be the charm for the convicted killer. The source told the Sun: “Sams believes he’s getting closer to being released on licence. He tells other prisoners, ‘I’m an old man. What harm could I do?’. But he is evil.”

Stephanie is said to have never recovered from her trauma and died of cancer aged 50. In 2022, the secret recordings of Sams' confession to killing Ms Dart were aired for the first time. In the show, Sams confessed to strangling Ms Dart after abducting her as a "dummy run" for the kidnap of Ms Slater.

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In one recording, Sams was heard saying: "When I went out to kidnap Julie Dart, there was only one intention and that was to kill her. There was no intention whatsoever to keep her alive."

Bob Taylor, who was lead detective in the case, received word that the killer wanted to speak with him, so he concealed a tape recorder in his briefcase when he visited him at Full Sutton Prison.

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.”

Antony Clements-Thrower