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The release of a convicted killer has been halted at the eleventh hour after the Justice Secretary intervened. Reginald Wilson was due to walk free from prison this week after spending 34 years locked up for the brutal murder of a respected consultant and father-of-three.

In 1990, Wilson, who has changed his surname to Zenshen in prison , beat David Birkett to death before taunting police with a note outlining his plan to "kill as many pigs as I can". Officers discovered Wilson's hideout in a derelict house covered in graffiti, including the German word kopfjäger , meaning headhunter.

After a Parole Board review in October 2025, the killer was judged suitable for release. Justice Secretary David Lammy, who had opposed the decision during the parole review, had until

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