Cooke was one of a paedophile gang jailed over the 1985 killing of abducted teen Jason Swift, who was snatched and molested in July 1985
Killer paedophile Sidney Cooke has failed in a freedom bid after becoming the oldest prisoner to ever have a parole hearing – aged 98.
The fiend failed in his twelfth parole bid since he was jailed and now means he will almost certainly die behind bars. The ex-fairground worker was jailed for life for the manslaughter of Jason Swift, 14, in Hackney, east London, and a campaign of abuse. Parole Board chiefs held a private hearing and ruled Cooke, being held at Category A Wakefield Prison in West Yorks, should remain jailed.
Cooke will also not be moved to an open prison. Experts are believed to have spent hours on making their decision and would have read reports on his progress inside. A source said: “Cooke has shown absolutely no remorse for his wicked crimes. Thankfully, the Parole Board has noticed this and have made the right decision.
“He deserves to spend his final days in prison. At his age, it means he will almost certainly die behind bars. The Parole Board carefully looked at everything in front of them and made the decision to keep him locked up. To keep someone in prison at the age of 98 would show the experts still think he poses a real risk to the public.”
Cooke was one of a paedophile gang jailed over the 1985 killing of Jason. The youngster was abducted and molested after he went missing in July 1985. His body was found the next year on a farm in Ongar, Essex. Cooke was later named in court as being involved in other child abductions and murders, after operating with a gang of paedophiles dubbed the “Dirty Dozen”.
Dirty Dozen members Leslie Bailey, Robert Oliver and Steven Barrell were also convicted for Jason’s murder.
Operating from a flat on the Kingsmead estate in Hackney, east London, the gang snatched children off the streets and subjected them to sexual torture. Cooke travelled the country preying on vulnerable youngsters, setting up his children’s Test Your Strength machine in fairgrounds and using this as an opportunity to lure boys before drugging them and subjecting them to brutal assaults.
The vile network is suspected of abducting and killing 17 boys in the 1970s and 1980s. Cooke used his job as a fairground worker to prey on vulnerable youngsters. The former farm labourer from Gloucestershire was also named in court as a ringleader in the death of Mark Tildesley, seven, who vanished in 1984 after going to a funfair in Wokingham, Berks. Mark’s remains have never been found.
Cooke was also linked to the killing of Barry Lewis, six, of Walworth, South London, in 1985. His body was found the following year. Cooke was freed in 1988 amid public uproar and taken in voluntary custody for his own protection.
In 1999, Cooke was given two life sentences after admitting a systematic campaign of abuse against two young brothers in the 1970s, following a TV appeal after his early release. He was told at the time he would not be considered for release until he had served at least five years, and only if the Parole Board was satisfied he was no longer a danger to the public.
At the time, he had been living at his own request in a suite of three cells at Yeovil police station, in Somerset, following angry protests at his early release, which forced him to keep on the move every time his identity was discovered.
Parole was refused in May 2023, when he was “assessed as presenting a very high risk of serious harm to the public”.
A spokesperson for the Parole Board said: “We can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board refused the release of Sidney Cooke following a paper review. The panel also refused to recommend a move to 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. 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.
“Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority. Under current legislation he will be eligible for a further review in due course. The date of the next review will be set by the Ministry of Justice.”