The sister of one of the Snowtown murder victims has slammed the decision to release one of the killers, James Vlassakis, as an insult.
Karen Davies, whose brother Ray was one of the eleven victims of the Snowtown murders, has condemned the decision.
“Where’s (my brother’s) freedom… he’s never going to have that ever again,” she said.
“(Vlassakis) is going to have the freedom to see his family, to see his loved ones, to make friends.
“I know to them and in their eyes he might have been a model prisoner when he was in there but it’s still the fact he took four lives.”
Vlassakis is the youngest of the Snowtown killers and was given a 26-year non-parole period in exchange for his assistance in convicting his stepfather, John Bunting, and Robert Wagner.
In approving his release on Tuesday, the parole board chair described the now 45-year-old as “well-behaved” and someone who doesn’t pose a risk to the community.
The attorney-general, victims’ rights commissioner, and police commissioner have been given 60 days to launch a review of the parole board’s decision.
“We will be considering the formal reasons and the exact conditions that the parole board has imposed,” Attorney-General Kyam Maher said.
“We haven’t received those yet.”
Police Commissioner Grant Stevens of South Australia Police confirmed that the matter is under scrutiny.
“That’s being reviewed by our major crime investigation branch who will provide me advice,” he said.
“I’m not personally aware and I understand some people have done some research and haven’t been able to find a person having been convicted of these offences would have been subject to release.”
If there is no successful review, Vlassakis will next be moved to a pre-release centre where he will start to re-enter society and can even get a job. But even once he’s free, he’ll be monitored for the rest of his life.
This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.
