A double killer has lost his latest bid to be released from prison.

The mother of one of Peter Newbery’s victims spoke of her relief today after being informed that he had been refused parole for a second time.

Newbery was jailed for life in 2004 for the brutal murders of teenagers George Green and Samantha Barton.

He was told he must serve 20 years behind bars before he would be even considered for parole.

Newbery first became eligible for parole in 2023 but in a hearing in October that year his application was refused. This week there was a second parole hearing when his application was once again rejected.

Margaret Green said she was relieved but concerned that Newbery will just apply for parole again in another year’s time.

She said: ‘You just can’t put it to the back of your mind.

‘You’re always on edge thinking that he may be going to be let out and you’ll see him walking down the street - not that I’m frightened of him.’

Samantha and George, both 16 and in care, were stabbed and strangled with a pair of shoelaces at the Leece Lodge halfway house care home in Braddan in February 2002.

Newbery, then a 23-year-old out of work abattoir worker of Willaston Crescent, also sexually assaulted both victims. He left Samantha’s body at Leece Lodge, while George was found dumped in a field half a mile away.

At the time of the murders, Newbery was out on bail for a similar attack and the two murders sparked a long-running childcare inquiry.

News that he was applying for parole a second time prompted the launch of a petition on change.org urging the authorities not to release Newbery.

The petition had little legal weight as it is aimed at the UK Ministry of Justice and Parole Board England and Wales while the island’s parole committee is completely separate and autonomous. But it attracted hundreds of signatures.

The double killer has been held at Jurby Prison since October 2020, after being transferred there from a UK prison.

For any prisoner serving a mandatory life sentence, who has served their minimum tariff, there is no limit set on the time between parole applications.

Mrs Green has previously described the situation as a ‘never-ending nightmare’.

She said her daughter had received a call from Victim Support informing them of the parole committee’s decision. The families of both victims had been informed of the decision but had not been told the exact grounds for refusal, she said.

Mrs Green questioned why the double killer was still being held at Jurby prison rather than being transferred back to a category A jail across.

She said her family had offered to take part in restorative justice but knew that Newbery would never agree to that.

‘It’s tiring. We were told earlier this year that he would be up for parole in April but it’s now June. We’ve lost a bit of faith in the system,’ she added.