THE father of a Hagley paperboy murdered by a sex fiend fears his son's killer could be freed because of the new Human Rights Act.

Homosexual Victor Miller was sentenced to life in 1988 for the murder of Geoff Gough's 14-year-old son, Stuart.

The teenager was sexually abused and hit on the head with a rock before being dumped near the Malvern Hills.

The new legislation could mean his killer is considered for release after serving barely half his sentence.

Mr Gough, of Worcester Road, says the thing which has kept him going was a letter he received from the then Home Secretary, Jack Straw, in 1997.

It assured him Miller would serve at least 25 years of a life sentence. His sentence would then be looked at every five years.

But Lord Woolf, the Lord Chief Justice, has suggested that because of the new Act, politicians may no longer have the power to impose sentence tariffs for adult murderers.

Mr Gough said: "Because of the Human Rights Act we dread a letter will come through the letter-box saying this murderer will be released.

"Every day it gets worse.

"It's like a spectre hanging over us continually and we're living on tenterhooks.

"If the man who killed my son is released it will break our hearts."

Mr Gough, who is involved with Bromsgrove's Victim Support, is keeping himself busy and has recently launched a new Heartstart UK course in the town which teaches the public resuscitation skills.

Bromsgrove Victim Support chairman Tony Warren, who was chief inspector of West Mercia Constabulary at the time of Stuart's murder, is hopeful Miller will not be released before his tariff is up.

He said: "The Human Rights Act is also for the victims of crime not just the individuals who commit them."