A man who snatched an estate agent in Birmingham and demanded a £175,000 ransom hopes to soon go free from after decades in jail.

Michael Sams abducted Stephanie Slater, 25, at knifepoint while posing as a potential buyer for a house in Great Barr in January 1992.

Her eight-day ordeal came six months after Sams kidnapped 18-year-old Hannah Dart, from Leeds, and kept her in a coffin before beating her to death in a failed extortion attempt.

Sams, now 82, was later sentenced to life imprisonment for kidnapping Slater and murdering Dart.

Despite being denied parole for the third time last year, a source revealed that Sams remained optimistic about his chances during his fourth review.

The source told the Sun: “Sams believes he’s getting closer to being released on licence. He tells other prisoners: ‘I’m an old man. What harm could I do?”

Slater suffered years of trauma after the incident and passed away from cancer at the age of 50.

A representative for the Parole Board said: “We can confirm the parole review of Michael Sams has been referred to the Parole Board by the Secretary of State for Justice and is following standard processes.

“Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.”