The release decision for Snowtown killer James Spyridon Vlassakis has been upheld after an attempt by the South Australian government to block his parole was rejected. The Parole Administrative Review Commissioner, David Lovell KC, found the Attorney-General had not established grounds to overturn the Parole Board’s decision.
Parole Board chair Frances Nelson KC told 891 ABC Adelaide that Vlassakis remained in prison but would “at some point” be transferred to the Adelaide Pre-release Centre. She said this was an automatic step for life-sentence prisoners, allowing them a period of adjustment before release.
Vlassakis, now in his mid-40s, was 18 when he took part in the 1998 murder of his half-brother, Troy Youde. He later pleaded guilty to four Snowtown killings. He was sentenced to life in prison but received a 26-year non-parole period after assisting authorities.
Nelson said Vlassakis would be subject to standard parole requirements, including a curfew, weekly reporting to a community corrections officer and restrictions on leaving South Australia. He will also be barred from contacting victims’ families and from entering specified geographical exclusion areas because of their proximity to those families.
The parole conditions include random drug and alcohol testing, along with compliance with the pre-release centre’s rules and psychological intervention. Nelson acknowledged Vlassakis had tested positive for drugs several times in prison, but said he did not currently appear to have a drug problem. She said it was “quite likely” he would be returned to prison if he failed testing while on parole.
Commissioner for Victims’ Rights Sarah Quick said the parole decision had been very distressing for the families of those murdered by the Snowtown killers. She said her office would contact victims if Vlassakis breached his parole conditions. Nelson also said potential threats to Vlassakis had been considered, noting that his public profile would attract media attention.