Murderer Andrew Cole went to court in failed bid to be anonymous over brutal double killing
Murderer went to court in bid to be anonymous over brutal double killing. Getty

A murderer who sexually mutilated one of his victims in a "horrific" double killing, has succeeded in his legal bid to win anonymity.

The killer's lawyer told the High Court his privacy was more important than the public's right to know his identity, should the killer be released in to their midst.

His application was made as part of the murderer's bid to be turned loose in the community as part of rehabilitation.

The 43-year-old claimed he was entitled to privacy because he is a mental patient undergoing treatment.

Lord Justice Maurice Kay said the potential for "media intrusion" was not a valid reason for putting a cloak of secrecy over the convicted killer, ahead of any potential release from jail.

The man murdered his former lover and her new boyfriend in a shocking attack, which his own counsel admitted was "high up on the list of horrific crimes".

The man stabbed his former lover 52 times and her new partner 38 times, in 1996. The woman was sexually mutilated during the attack in Llandrindod Wells, Wales.

The killer launched into his attack by smashing through a bedroom window in his ex-partner's grandmother's home, after thinking he could hear the couple come inside.

He had come to the property equipped with a large kitchen knife, rope, gloves and recording equipment.

Lord Justice Maurice Kay said: "I accept the need to protect a released criminal from media intrusion or physical attack can be a material consideration in the context of an anonymity application.

"However, it is of limited weight in the present case.

"The position is not significantly different from that which arises when any notorious, violent or sexual offender leaves prison on licence or otherwise, and regardless of whether or not he has been a mental patient."