Dominic Raab prevented the killer Garry Newlove from going to open prison

Stephen Sorton, then 17, and Jordan Cunliffe, then 16, were also sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 15 and 12 years in prison, respectively.

The Parole Board said in its recommendation that Swellings should be transferred to an open-type prison after examining “progress made during detention” and “carefully assessing the benefits and risks of his progress in this way”.

A document detailing the decision states that Swellings drank and used cannabis at the time of the murder and disguised his “low self-esteem” with “arrogance” to “maintain status with non-social friends.”

He was said to have “had difficulty coping with extreme emotions” and expressed anger at “extreme aggression”.

However, it is written that “during his detention there were no concerns about his behavior”, that he attended rehabilitation and training to “raise awareness of the victims”, and that his conduct was “exemplary”.

He added that the psychologist felt that the open conditions were a “more realistic environment” in which his progress could be tested.

The decision followed when Swellings first sat before the board.

The committee said that “it is now up to the Secretary of State to decide whether to accept … the recommendation”.