Killer paedophile Sidney Cooke, 98, set to become oldest lag up for parole after being expected to die behind bars
KILLER paedophile Sidney Cooke is set to become the oldest lag up for parole — aged 98.
Cooke was expected to die behind bars after losing his 11th freedom bid last year.
But he has been granted a new appeal next May, the month after his 98th birthday.
A source said yesterday: “It seems a waste of time but the Parole Board has to follow procedure despite Cooke approaching 100.”
And cold case murder expert Chris Clark said: “He is the worst of the worst.
“There is no real logic to giving him a parole hearing at his age. He should die behind bars.”
Fairground worker Cooke, nicknamed Hissing Sid, was found guilty of the manslaughter of Jason Swift, 14, in Hackney, East London, in 1989.
He got 19 years, reduced to 16 on appeal, and was freed in 1998.
A year later he was jailed for life for abusing boys in the 1970s.
Last year he was deemed to still be a risk and refused parole and an open prison move.
A Parole Board spokeswoman said: “Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public and whether that risk is manageable in the community.”