Notorious road rage killer Kenneth Noye has been released from prison, MailOnline can reveal today.
The former gangster, 71, was freed this morning after serving nearly 20 years for the vicious stabbing of Stephen Cameron, 21, on an M25 slip road near Swanley, Kent, in 1996.
The cold-blooded murder took place in front of Mr Cameron's 17-year-old fiancée Danielle Cable while Noye was out on licence from a previous prison term.
He is now a free man after a parole board praised his 'improved victim awareness', 'clear life goals' and 'ability to control his emotions.'
The Ministry of Justice said in a statement: 'We understand this will be a distressing decision for the family of Stephen Cameron and our thoughts remain with them.
'Like all life sentence prisoners released by the independent Parole Board, Kenneth Noye will be on licence for the remainder of his life, subject to strict conditions and faces a return to prison should he fail to comply.'
Last month the Parole Board confirmed his release from an open jail has been approved after it ruled he is no longer a 'significant risk to the public'.
Despite his history of violence stretching back decades, the parole panel said they were impressed by the killer's 'decision-making', 'maturity about his situation' and 'insight into his past behaviour'.
Kenneth Noye, pictured last year outside an open prison, is to be released from jail
Noye stabbed 21-year-old Stephen Cameron (left) to death on a slip road to the M25 in Swanley, Kent, in 1996. Noye then went on the run in Spain
The decision has allowed Noye to walk free from Standford Hill open prison in Kent.
The victim's father Ken Cameron, 72, said Noye should die behind bars.
Reacting to the decision last month, he said: 'I'm totally devastated. I can't believe they have made this decision. Life should mean life.
'I hoped this day would never come. I sort of knew it was coming, though - I was almost resigned to it. But it is still a complete kick in the teeth.
'He is going back on the streets when he should spend the rest of his days behind bars.
Mr Cameron's parents Ken and Toni outside court in 2000. Mrs Cameron has since sadly died
'Stephen was denied a life by Noye on May 19, 1996 when he left him lying in the gutter. And we are the ones who have had to live a life sentence. There isn't a day we don't think of Stephen.'
Mr Cameron added: 'He can now go and live the rest of his life as a free man while our family still grieve for Stephen every day.
'I'm sure he'll head off to a nice little bolt hole in Spain somewhere and live the good life.'
Former career criminal Noye, once acquitted of murdering a policeman after claiming self-defence, has been at Standford Hill open prison in Kent for the past 18 months - just 30 miles from his victim's father.
When talking about the parole board decision, Ken said: 'This is a joke. It's nonsense.
Noye pictured in custody in the UK after his arrest in Spain over the M25 murder
'Noye has always been a nasty and violent man all his life and some courses and programmes in prison are not going to change that.
1947: Kenneth Noye is born in Bexleyheath, south east London
1977: Falls into crime and gets an 18-month suspended sentence for having a shotgun.
November 1983: The Brink's Mat robbery took place where six gunman burst into the warehouse near Heathrow and escaped with £26.3million.
January 1985: Stabbed police officer John Fordham, who was investigating the robbery, to death in grounds of his home in West Kingsdown, Kent. He was under surveillance at the time.
December 1985: Jury clear Noye of murder after agreeing he acted in self-defence
July 1986: Jailed for 14 years for conspiring to handle Brinks Mat gold and evade VAT payments.
1994: He is released from prison.
May 1996: Stabbed Stephen Cameron, 21, to death in a road rage attack on the M25 near Swnaley, Kent
August 1998: Noye arrested in Barbate, Spain.
April 2000: Noye convicted of murder and given a life sentence
2017: Authorised for move to open prison. He is seen on day release from Standford Hill prison a year later.
May 2019 Parole Board announced decision to free him.
June 2019 Kenny Noye is released
'He says what they want to hear and he does what they want to see.
'He would have made out he is a good boy to them. But he will walk out of that prison and pick up from where he left off.
'He's pulled the wool over their eyes and now he is being released.
'He's never going to change. He's an evil man.'
Justifying the decision to release him, a spokesman for the parole board said: 'We can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board has directed the release of Kenneth Noye following an oral hearing.
'Parole Board decisions are solely focused on whether someone 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.'
In 1985, Noye stabbed to death Detective Constable John Fordham in the grounds of Kent mansion. He was cleared of murder.
But the following year he was jailed for 14 years for handling gold bullion stolen in the infamous 1983 Brink's-Mat robbery. Twice refused parole, he was freed in 1994.
After the 1996 M25 attack, Noye fled, arranged for the Land Rover he was driving to be disposed of, and flew to Spain where he lived under a false name until his arrest in 1998.
When he was convicted of murder in 2000, he was handed a life sentence with a minimum of 16 years.
Ex-Flying Squad head Barry Phillips said: 'If people look at what Noye has done in his life, and the trail of death and human misery he has left behind him, they will perhaps conclude he should stay behind bars for the rest of his natural.'
A summary of the parole decision states: 'Evidence was presented at the hearing regarding Mr Noye's successful completion of accredited programmes when detained in closed prison conditions, earlier in his sentence.
'These had addressed decision-making, better ways of thinking and considering consequences, and a tendency to use violence in certain conditions.
'He had also completed a training course focused on improved victim awareness and, shortly before being transferred to open conditions, he had participated in a more advanced programme dealing with strategies to avoid use of violence.
Noye, pictured at the time, and, right, in the disguise in which he fled to Spain
'The panel heard how well Mr Noye had demonstrated application of relevant skills and learning while in custody.
'Witnesses described his good conduct and compliance in prison and charted the progress he had made during this sentence. He had worked positively with officials dealing with his case and had demonstrated maturity about his situation, as well as greater insight into his past behaviour.
'He had demonstrated an ability to deal appropriately with potentially violent situations in prison and was clearly well motivated to avoid further offending in the community.
'The professional witnesses were all of the view that Mr Noye had addressed his risk factors appropriately and had reduced his risk to the public to a level at which, with a robust risk management plan in place, it would be manageable safely in the community.
'The panel noted a number of protective factors (i.e. factors likely to reduce risk) including Mr Noye's current proven ability to control his emotions, his clear life goals, his relationships, and his proven ability to work with
