A man who killed three children before hanging their mutilated bodies on garden railings outside their home has been cleared for release by the Parole Board.

David McGreavy killed Paul Ralph, four, and his sisters Dawn, two, and nine-month-old Samantha in their Worcester home in 1973.

Paul had been strangled, Dawn was found with her throat cut, and Samantha died from a compound fracture to the skull.

McGreavy, now 67, a family friend and lodger, then impaled their bodies on the spiked garden railings of a house in Gillam Street, Rainbow Hill.

He claimed he killed the children because one of them would not stop crying, and was sentenced to life for the murders.

The Parole Board confirmed that a panel directed his release following an oral hearing.

MORE: Teens and children had 45,000 operations to remove teeth last year

MORE: Theresa May’s Brexit plan is a deal ‘in name only’, says latest minister to quit

The children’s mother Elsie Urry, who has also been known as Dorothy, told The Sun: “What this animal did to my children was every bit as bad as what the Moors Murderers did.

“But Ian Brady and Myra Hindley never left prison before they died so why the hell should he?

“He put my babies on spikes for God’s sake – he mutilated them and they died in agony.

“I wanted him dead and to suffer like they had but was reassured after his trial that his crime was so terrible he would never walk free again.

“But despite begging them to keep him locked up, I have now finally been betrayed.”

View photos Unemployed labourer McGreavy, then 21, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the killing and mutilating of three young children in a drunken rage when one of them would not stop crying (Picture: PA) More

A document from the Parole Board about McGreavy’s case referred to a victim personal statement from the victims’ mother, “setting out the devastating effect that these deaths had on her and still do have”.

The document said that over the 45 years in custody, McGreavy has changed “considerably”.

It added: “He has developed self-control, as well as a considerable understanding of the problems that he has had and what caused them.

“The psychologist identified a number of factors which make it less likely that Mr McGreavy will reoffend in future.

“These included his improved self-control and the fact that Mr McGreavy has learnt to remain calm in stressful situations.

“He has also shown himself to be compliant and co-operative with authority, which suggests that he will comply with licence conditions.

“A network of supportive friends in the community was also identified as a protective factor.”

The Parole Board said: “We can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board has directed the release of David McGreavy following an oral hearing.

“Parole Board decisions are solely focused on whether a prisoner would represent a significant risk to the public after release.

“The panel will have carefully looked at a whole range of evidence, including details of the original evidence and any evidence of behaviour change.

“We do that with great care and public safety is our number one priority.”

—Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK—