Past and present MPs have praised the Parole Board for its decision not to free a murderer who brutally killed a Hatton businesswoman in an unprovoked attack as she walked her dogs.
Sitting Burton Tory Andrew Griffiths, was the latest to speak out after the Burton Mail revealed that David Bond had been refused parole after 25 years in jail for a crime that shocked the community.
The 28-year-old from Stretton brutally murdered Hatton woman Debbie Buxton as she walked along a beauty spot in Marston-on-Dove in 1993. Bond was originally sentenced to a minimum of 40 years after the trial judge Sir Richard Rougier described him as perhaps the most dangerous man he had come across. Bond, now aged 53, has been refused parole for at least another two years.
Today the Burton Mail also calls for Bond not to be released. We feel what he did was so disturbing that the prospect of his freedom will always be a concern.
Debbie, 35, was walking along the River Dove in Marston-on-Dove on April 27, 1993 when she was brutally stabbed by David Bond with a pair of broken scissors in a frenzied unprovoked attack.
Bond, had a history of violence towards women and had been released from prison just 11 weeks before he attacked Mrs Buxton, who he did not know.
He was originally sentenced to a minimum of 40 years in jail, but his sentence was reduced to 25 years, meaning he was set for release this year.
However, the Parole Board has considered his case and the panel recommended that he was not freed, a decision which has been welcomed by Mr Griffiths.
Mr Griffiths was not the town’s MP when the tragedy happened but has pledged to follow the case closely to reassure "worried residents".
He said: "The announcement that David Bond has been refused parole will undoubtedly be a huge relief to the family and friends of Debbie Buxton.
"As far back as 2016 worried residents had got in touch with me to raise concerns that someone who had committed such a horrific crime would be eligible for parole this year so I wrote to the Prisons Minister to raise the case.
"I am pleased that the Parole Board have taken these very serious concerns into consideration when making their decision.
"It is of course important that any future decisions on parole are made based on the evidence but I will continue to monitor the case in the future and do what I can to make sure Bond is not released into the community if he remains unfit to be."
The decision to reduce his sentence to 25 years by the Home Office, caused outrage among the community.
And in 2003, the Burton Mail worked with Debbie’s family to launch the "Justice for Debbie" campaign.
The fight saw more than 15,000 sign a petition opposing Bond’s reduced sentence, which was presented at the Houses of Parliament.
Lending their voices to the campaign were Mark Todd, who was MP for South Derbyshire at the time of the murder and his counterpart Janet Dean who was MP for Burton.
Mr Todd, who is now 63 and retired, said the parole board has a very important job to do and Bond’s "random killing causes particular alarm".
Mr Todd, who still lives in South Derbyshire, said: "David Bond was given a life sentence of 25 years as a minimum term, now the Parole Board has to determine whether that person continues to be a risk to society, or in this case especially to women and if they have shown genuine remorse.
"I can only assume the judgement must have been made that he continues to be a risk and he doesn’t express remorse and if that is the case then I very much welcome its decision.
"Bond targeted an innocent woman and his random killing causes particular alarm. He should not be let out if he continues to be a threat."
Mr Todd said his thoughts were with the family as they once again have to "relive the horror" of the tragedy, whenever there is a development in the case.
He said: "Her family were very involved with the process and I can only imagine what they are going through now. They must be thinking about this at the moment and they must be relieved that this horrible man is being kept inside.
"My thoughts go out to everyone affected by this, especially the family because when these things come back around they are the ones that have to relive that time of horror."
Mr Todd also said he is pleased to see that Mr Griffiths will be keeping an eye on Bond’s case, saying it was "sensible" to do so.
He said: "Part of Andrew’s job as an MP is to be alert to justice matters like this but there are limits to what he can do.
"It is sensible for MPs to keep a close eye on such cases and to be available to help people if they think something can be done.
"I am pleased that Bond is spending more time inside if he continues to be a risk to the community."
Mrs Dean, said she also welcomed the Parole Board’s decision and paid tribute to the Burton Mail’s 2003 campaign.
She said: "Firstly, I would like to pay tribute to the Burton Mail for the campaign in 2003, which I was happy to support.
"I know that many people will be relieved to hear the recent decision of the Parole Board and I hope that in the future any review of David Bond's case will take into account, not only the brutal and senseless murder of Debbie Buxton, but also his previous history of attacks on women.
"No-one should be freed from custody if they are still a danger to others."
Bond will be eligible for another review in the next two years when the Parole Board will decide again whether he should be released or remain in custody.
Timeline of events
David Bond from Stretton was first convicted in 1981, when he was 16, for jumping out at a former schoolfriend and striking her on the head as she walked along the street. He was sentenced to three years' supervision.
In 1985, he received five years' youth custody for three separate attacks on women. He called at his victims' houses and made excuses to gain entry before attacking them. There was no sexual or robbery motive for the attacks.
Bond served just two years for those attacks. Three days after his release in 1987, he attacked a 14- year-old girl and a 20-year-old woman in Nottingham. Like Mrs Buxton they were walking their dogs along a riverbank. Bond was jailed for eight years for assault with intent to rob and causing grievous bodily harm.
He was released in January 1993 - again before he had served his full term. Eleven weeks later on April 27, 1993, Bond, who was 28, attacked Debbie Buxton, 35, with a hammer and one half of a pair of shears as she was walking her dogs on the riverbank at Marston on Dove, Derbyshire.
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After a trial at Nottingham Crown Court, Bond was sentenced to 40 years in prison on May 19, 1994 - which would have been Debbie’s birthday.
In 1999 Ron Buxton, widower of Debbie was told that the minimum term was cut to 25 years. He said he will challenge the decision by writing to the Home Office.
In January 2003, the Burton Mail started a lengthy campaign which worked with Debbie’s family to get "Justice for Debbie."
The crusade saw more than 15,000 sign a petition opposing Bond’s reduced sentence which was presented at the Houses of Parliament.
On March 22, 2003, Sir Richard Rougier, the judge who sentenced Bond, appeared on the BBC to slam the reduction in his sentence which he said came from a misunderstanding in a report filed in 1994.
The petition was later presented to the House of Commons however new legislative powers meant the miscarriage of justice could not be corrected.
In April 2018, 25 years after Bond was jailed, a witness in the case called the Burton Mail to alert them to his impending release.
After contacting the parole office, we discovered that Bond had been refused parole after a review by the board, a decision which has been welcomed by residents, friends, family and MP Andrew Griffiths.
