Westcliff murder suspect Patrick Mackay seen on day release

Mackay, 70, who has spent the last 47 years behind bars, has been seen wandering through a city centre bus station on day release from open prison, the Sun reports.

This comes after the killer was denied parole as the Mail reported it was revealed he had used drugs in an open prison and was too dangerous to be released.

Owner of the Orange Tree cafe, 48-year-old Ivy Davies, was battered to death at her home in Holland Road in February 1975, but her murder has remained unsolved.

Mackay was questioned at the time and admitted he knew of Ivy Davies and had considered robbing her.

He was also allegedly heard bragging about her murder while on remand in Brixton Prison, but when he was driven to view her cafe and home, he could not pick them out. 

He later denied having anything to do with her death, as well as seven other unsolved murders he had initially confessed to. 

He was jailed after admitting he killed two widows in 1974 and 1975 as well as a priest.

Mackay was seen with a goatee, wearing glasses, a baseball cap, and what appeared to be prison-issued tracksuit bottoms as he enjoyed day release from HMP Leyhill in Gloucestershire

Speaking of the murderer's time out of prison, Ivy's son, Vic Davies, 67, told the Sun: "It doesn't make sense. There is clearly a desire to get him out of prison and it's a massive gamble.

"It takes a split second for something to go horribly wrong."

The Ministry of Justice declined to comment.

Gareth Johnson, MP for Dartford in Kent, where the notorious criminal, now known as David Groves, is originally from, told The Sun that he was still young enough to kill again. 

Two men were initially questioned on suspicion of carrying out the murder of Ivy Davies, but they were never charged.

They remained the prime suspects for more than 30 years until detectives arrested a third man, aged 68 from Basildon, in 2006, on suspicion of murder.

He too was later released without charge.