Palk killer dies in jail aged 40

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A man who was jailed for life for the "sadistic" murder of a Cardiff shipping clerk in 1990 has died in prison.

Mark Hampson, who raped and killed Geraldine Palk, 26, as she made her way home from a Christmas party in Cardiff, had suffered a long illness.

The prison service confirmed Hampson, of Taff's Well, died at Wakefield Prison's healthcare centre. He was 40.

Hampson went unpunished for 12 years before a random DNA sweep led to his arrest. He was jailed for life in 2002.

The killer's death comes almost 17 years to the day after Miss Palk's body was found in a stream near a leisure centre in the Fairwater area of the city, not far from her home.

Hampson abducted her at knifepoint, raped her and stabbed her a total of 81 times, before cutting her throat and crushing her skull on 22 December, 1990.

Geraldine Palk was raped and stabbed 81 times by Hampson

Hampson was finally arrested for the murder as he came to the end of a jail sentence in Dartmoor, where he was serving four years for grievous bodily harm.

He was jailed for Miss Palk's murder after a trial at Bristol Crown Court.

A Prison Service spokesperson said Hampson died at 1335 GMT on Sunday.

"Our sympathies are with the family of Mr Hampson at this time. As with all deaths in custody, the prisons and probation ombudsman will conduct an investigation," the spokesperson added."

Last January, Hampson had appealed against his conviction at London's Royal Courts of Justice, but lost.

The judge, Mrs Justice Hallet said the former carpet fitter should serve at least 20 years before being considered for parole and may never be released.

She described the murder as "a sadistic and sexually motivated crime that devastated a community".