What about the victims' rights? Meddling European judges rule even Britain's most evil killers have human right to seek freedom Prisoners serving whole life terms win the right to seek parole in Strasbourg European Court of Human Rights rules sentence 'inhumane and degrading' Convicted killers Jeremy Bamber, Peter Moore and Douglas Vinter appealed Minister Chris Grayling describes ruling as 'a terrible day for British justice' By Jack Doyle, James Slack and James Tozer Victory: Jeremy Bamber was one of three killers to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights against their whole life terms Victims" families reacted with fury last night after European judges ruled serial killers must be given the right to seek parole. In a hugely provocative decision, Strasbourg said murderers and rapists condemned to die behind bars must now be given a chance of freedom. The families said the idea of the killers walking Britain's streets again was a "horrendous prospect" and "life must mean life." The whole-life tariff applies to 48 men and one woman - Rose West - whose crimes courts regard as so heinous they must never be let out. But three of them - Jeremy Bamber, Douglas Vinter and Peter Moore - appealed to Europe, saying their sentences "undermined human dignity and destroyed the human spirit." Vinter and Bamber even claimed their time in jail had left them "depressed and in despair." Yesterday the highest body of the European Court of Human Rights, the Grand Chamber, agreed with them. It said refusing the 49 any prospect of release amounted to inhuman and degrading treatment in a breach of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. All the killers must now be allowed a review - with the prospect of release if they have been "rehabilitated" and are deemed harmless. Victims: Jeremy Bamber was convicted of murdering his adoptive sister Sheila, left, and parents Nevill and June, right. with a rifle in 1985 Battle: Jeremy Bamber with girlfriend Julie at the funeral of three of his family members. He was later convicted of murdering them Tory MPs said the ruling was an attack on democracy that exposed the court's "warped moral compass." Justice Secretary Chris Grayling spoke of "a terrible day for British justice." Ministers are already in a stand-off with the court over its demand to lift the ban on prisoners voting and are furious over its decisions in favour of terrorists and criminals. Writing in today's Mail, Mr Grayling threatened to withdraw from the court's control after the next election, and accused the judges of being "misguided" and trying to act like a "Supreme Court of Europe." Lisa Jones, whose father Keith Randles was Moore's third victim, said she was "extremely upset" the killer could be released. The 45-year-old mother of three, from Ellesmere Port in Cheshire, said: "This man took away multiple lives in a horrific and premeditated way - why should he have the rights that he denied my father and his other victims? Horrors: Rose West, left, who helped her husband Fred kill ten young women at their house in Gloucester including their daughter Heather, right Given hope: Ian Brady The Moors Murderer and accomplice Myra Hindley were convicted of murdering three children and burying them in the 1960s For the last 16 years, our family have derived comfort from the knowledge that Moore would never be allowed to walk the streets again because of what he did. Now we urgently want to know if this means he can apply for parole, which would be a horrendous prospect. Moore, known as the "Man in Black," killed four men in less than four months in 1995, stabbing them with a combat knife for "fun." Lynne Haygarth, 53, whose brother Edward Carthy, 28, was Moore's second victim, said: "He's less than human - why should he have rights? Did he consider Ted's human rights when he decapitated him and did other unspeakable, twisted things to his body? There is no way he can get parole, he must die in prison. Life should mean life, he does not deserve a second chance. The court indicated the lifers should first be given a review after 25 years inside and then every few years afterwards if their appeal fails. If ministers were to bow to the court's demands, it would mean six lifers would instantly be entitled to demand their freedom. They include Bamber, Dennis Nilsen, who killed 16 men in London in the late 70s and early 80s, and John Childs, who murdered six people including one child in the mid-70s. The court heard that a whole-life sentence had repeatedly been ruled lawful by the British courts, including as recently as last year. In 2003, the House of Lords said there was no reason why a crime or crimes shouldn't merit it just for "pure punishment." Bleak: Volunteers search for victims of Moors Murderer Ian Brady Lord Steyn observed that "there are cases where the crimes are so wicked that even if the prisoner is detained until he or she dies it will not exhaust the requirements of retribution and deterrence." But, by a margin of 16 to one, the judges, including those from Latvia, Georgia, Liechtenstein and Montenegro, ruled in favour of the killers. They said the authorities should review such sentences to see if the inmate has made "progress towards rehabilitation" and keeping them behind bars was no longer justified. The judgment cannot be appealed. Appeal: Convicted killers Peter Moore, left, and Douglas Vinter, right, said their whole life sentences 'undermined human dignity and destroyed the human spirit' Award: The killers took their case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg Former Labour Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer, criticised the ruling which he said could mean the courts could never pass a sentence of longer than 25 years - because anyone reaching that point would automatically be entitled to a parole hearing. Justice Secretary Chris Grayling described the ruling as 'a terrible day for British justice' Ministers are expected to resist implementing the ruling, but in time this could lead to compensation claims from the prisoners who are denied a review. David Cameron was said to be "very, very, very, very disappointed" with the decision. Home Secretary Theresa May, a staunch critic of the court, told the Commons the public would be dismayed. Tory ex-justice minister Nick Herbert said: "This is one more dreadful judgement from this discredited court, after trying to give prisoners the vote and obstructing the deportation of terrorist suspects. Once again they have put us in the intolerable position where our own Parliament and courts no longer have the final say on justice. The time has come to withdraw from the European Court of Human Rights and decide these matters for ourselves. Tory MP for Esher and Walton, Dominic Raab, said: "It shows the warped moral compass of the Strasbourg Court that it allows three brutal murderers to sue Britain for inhuman treatment for jailing them for life to protect the public." Bamber's lawyer, Simon McKay, praised the ruling as "progressive and humane."