SHARON CARR, CAMBERLEY'S MOST NOTORIOUS KILLER, DENIED FREEDOM AGAIN

In a case that continues to shock the nation, Sharon Carr, infamously known as the 'Devil's Daughter,' has once again been denied the opportunity to walk free from prison. Her case remains a stark reminder of the enduring danger she poses to the public, more than three decades after her heinous crime in Camberley.

Sharon Carr's story is one marked by early violence and unthinkable brutality. At just 12 years old, she committed a murder that would forever etch her name into the annals of Britain's most infamous juvenile offenders. Her victim was 18-year-old Katie Rackliff, an apprentice hairdresser, whom she randomly targeted as she was walking home from Ragamuffins nightclub in Camberley in the early hours of June 7, 1992.

Without any apparent provocation, Carr approached Katie and stabbed her a staggering 32 times with a six-and-a-half-inch knife. The attack was vicious and indiscriminate, with the young girl being pierced through her ribs, in her heart, and even in her private areas, including her vagina and anus. After the assault, Carr stole some of Katie’s jewelry, further demonstrating her callousness. Following the murder, Carr, along with accomplices, transported Katie’s body to Farnborough, where they dragged her along a road and eventually dumped her near a cemetery wall. The body was discovered later that morning by a group of boys, shocking the community and prompting a lengthy investigation.

Despite the severity of her crime, Carr was not immediately apprehended. She returned to school, although she was excluded twice in early 1994. Her criminal activities did not end there. Exactly two years after Katie Rackliff’s murder, on June 7, 1994, Carr attacked a 13-year-old girl named Ann-Marie Clifford in the toilets at Collingwood College Comprehensive School in Surrey. The attack was unprovoked, with Carr stabbing Clifford in the back, puncturing her lung and nearly causing her death. The assault was only halted when five other students intervened, likely saving Clifford’s life. Witnesses reported that Carr was smiling and appeared to be enjoying the attack, further highlighting her disturbing demeanor.

Carr’s violent tendencies and psychological issues continued to surface during her incarceration. She was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1997, with a minimum tariff of 14 years, after her conviction for Katie Rackliff’s murder. Her early release was repeatedly blocked by the Parole Board, citing her ongoing risk to society. Official documents reveal that Carr had only served eight years of her sentence, primarily in secure specialist settings, and her behavior in prison was inconsistent, with episodes of violence and misconduct.

The parole summaries indicate that Carr had engaged in educational and occupational programs and even acted as a mentor to other inmates. However, experts warned that she still exhibited the same risk factors present at the time of her offending. These included difficulties in managing feelings of rejection and intense emotional reactions to perceived relationship problems. The report emphasized that her propensity for developing strong, often disproportionate feelings for certain individuals remained a significant concern.

Further disturbing details emerged from her personal writings. Carr’s diary contained chilling entries, such as: “I was born to be a murderer. Killing for me is a mass turn-on and it just makes me so high I never want to come down. Every night I see the Devil in my dreams – sometimes even in my mirror, but I realize it was just me.” Authorities also uncovered her involvement in other violent acts, including decapitating a neighbor’s dog with a spade and allegedly frying live hamsters, as well as her attempts to strangle nurses at an assessment center. She even boasted about her crimes over the phone to relatives.

Her troubled history includes her time at Bullwood Hall young offender’s institute in Hinckley, Essex, after attacking a schoolgirl with a knife in Surrey. Her violent tendencies and disturbing fantasies led to her being considered too dangerous for release, and she was denied judicial review after attempting to downgrade her prisoner status. Despite this, Carr, now 43, made a new bid for freedom, which was again rejected, with authorities emphasizing her ongoing threat to public safety.

When she was sentenced, Judge Mr Justice Scott Baker described her as “an extremely dangerous young woman,” noting her sexual motives and the brutal mutilation of her victim. The judge’s words underscored the severity of her actions and the deep psychological issues involved. Experts like criminal psychologist Gordon Tressler have expressed concern over her unpredictability, highlighting that her capacity for violence without clear motive makes her a significant danger to society.

Sharon Carr’s case remains a stark reminder of the potential for juvenile offenders to commit heinous crimes and the ongoing challenges in assessing their readiness for release. Her story is often compared to that of Mary Bell, another young girl who murdered in Newcastle-upon-Tyne at the age of 10, illustrating the disturbing reality of childhood violence in Britain.