An Adelaide paedophile has been given permission to end his life after being jailed for sexually abusing his students while working as a music teacher, 9News can exclusively reveal.
Malcolm Day, 81, is thought to be the first prisoner in the nation to be granted a voluntary assisted dying permit after having been diagnosed with a terminal illness, believed to be cancer.
Day was sentenced to 20 years in prison last June and has 17 years left on his sentence.
There is an 11-step process to access voluntary assisted dying in the state and 9News understands Day is towards the end of that process, meaning it could be finalised within the next few days.
The director of pro-euthanasia group Exit International Philip Nitschke said use of the scheme by a prisoner was going to happen sooner or later.
“By the sound of it, he satisfies all the conditions of the South Australian assisted dying legislation,” Nitschke said.
“So there should be no impediment… he should be given the option that any other person would have if they were terminally ill.”
Day forever changed the lives of two of his students as a South Australian music teacher in the 1980s.
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He groomed and abused students, then denied any wrongdoing when investigated by the education department.
One of his victims has described his offending as “selfish and disgraceful”.
The victim told the court Day poisoned her future for his own pleasure and went on to lie about it.
At the time of his sentencing, his barrister Stephen Ey said it was likely he would die in jail.
“Well, that’s a real prospect, isn’t it… given his age,” Ey said.
The latest SA Health data shows 39 terminally ill South Australians have ended their own lives after being granted a permit since voluntary assisted dying was introduced in January this year.
Both the corrections department and SA Health have been contacted for comment.
