Sams, 81, of Sutton-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, murdered Julie Dart, a Leeds teenager, and kidnapped Stephanie Slater,...

Published: 12:26 am March 13, 2023
Updated: 10:00 am October 8, 2025
Michael Sams, A Notorious Murderer And Kidnapper Who Was Sentenced To Life In Prison 30 Years Ago, Will Seek Parole At An Upcoming Hearing

Sams, 81, of Sutton-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, murdered Julie Dart, a Leeds teenager, and kidnapped Stephanie Slater, a Birmingham estate agent.

The Parole Board announced a hearing review on March 20.

It will determine “what risk [Sams] could pose to the public if released,” according to a spokesperson.

Sams was found guilty of Ms Dart’s murder in 1991 after a trial at Nottingham Crown Court in 1993.

Julie Dart was assassinated without any serious attempt to collect a ransom.
He had previously admitted kidnapping Ms Slater, then 25, and falsely imprisoning her before demanding a £175,000 ransom for her safe return the following year.

Ms Slater, who died of cancer in 2017, was handcuffed, gagged, and blindfolded in a coffin-like box inside a wheelie bin in Sams’ workshop in Newark-upon-Trent.

He imprisoned Ms Dart using a similar method.

During the hearing, which could last a full day or more, Sams will be questioned extensively.

Stephanie Slater, an estate agent, was kidnapped during a phoney house viewing.
“An oral hearing has been scheduled for the parole review of Michael Sams in March 2023,” a Parole Board spokesperson said.

“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 carried out thoroughly and with great care. Our top priority is to keep the public safe.”

The Parole Board added that evidence from witnesses such as probation officers, psychiatrists and psychologists, officials supervising the offender in prison, and victim personal statements will be presented at the hearing.

The upcoming parole hearings come after he was denied a security risk reduction in March 2012.

Sams was fighting to have his prisoner status changed from category A to category B, and he told a High Court judge that the level of risk he posed to female prison staff had decreased over time.

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