THE family of the victims of convicted killer Jeremy Bamber have welcomed moves for a Parliamentary debate on whether prisoners should be allowed to give interviews.

The mass murderer spoke to journalists about new evidence he hoped could be used to overturn his conviction for shooting dead five relatives.

Witham MP Priti Patel said the family were left “immensely distressed” that Bamber had been allowed to speak to the media by the Ministry of Justice and called for a debate into whether people serving life sentences should be granted access to the media.

Karen Boutflour, wife of Bamber’s cousin David, who lives in Wix, said the family would welcome a debate.

“It has been very hard and it puts an immense strain on all of us,” she said.

“He is in prison for a reason and he has had three failed appeals, so it is very strange that he was allowed to give an interview.

“He has his own official website and its awful that he’s even allowed to have that. We would be very pleased for there to be a debate at the House of Commons.”

Bamber has been in jail for more than 23 years for shooting his adoptive parents, June and Nevill, sister Sheila and her six-year-old twin sons, Daniel and Nicholas, at their farmhouse in Tolleshunt D’Arcy in August 1985.

At his trial, the prosecution said he committed the murders in the hope of inheriting a £500,000 fortune.

He now claims a police phone log suggests his father Nevill called police saying his daughter, Sheila, had “gone berserk” and “got hold of one of my guns”.

Speaking during a debate at the House of Commons, Ms Patel said: “The Leader of the House might be aware of the immense distress caused to the family of the victims of the Jeremy Bamber murders by the recent media interview he gave, which was allowed by the Ministry of Justice.

“May we have a debate in Government time on the impact of prisoners and mass murderers such as Bamber, who are serving whole-life tariffs and life imprisonment, being granted access to the media, so that victims of such crimes can be protected?”

George Young, Leader of the House of Commons, said he would raise the case with Justice Secretary Ken Clarke.

“It cannot be right that those who have been sentenced to imprisonment for serious crimes such as murder should then from prison be allowed to cause distress to the relatives of their victims,” he said.