Margaret Tobin’s killer Jean Eric Gassy exploits prison loophole to join controversial website iExpress

SOUTH Australian prisoners have been blocked from writing to a “restorative justice” website that posts their letters online, after The Advertiser told authorities that this notorious murderer had joined up.

Suspect murderer Jean Eric Gassy at Sydney Airport under police escort being extradited to SA to face murder charges for shooting of SA mental health director Dr Margaret Tobin 11 Nov 2002.

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SOUTH Australian prisoners have been blocked from writing to a “restorative justice” website that posts their letters online for them, after The Advertiser told authorities that cold-blooded killer Jean Eric Gassy had joined up.

Gassy, who murdered Margaret Tobin, the head of government mental health services, at her workplace in 2002, had been listed as an online penpal on the iExpress website.

He joined two other South Australian murderers, a rapist and a gunman on the site which allows inmates to communicate freely with the outside world by publishing extracts of letters it receives from the prisoners.

But on being told of this by The Advertiser, Correctional Services chief executive David Brown on Thursday night moved to block Gassy and any other prisoners from writing to the site, which has previously ignored requests to remove SA criminals from its profiles.

“The Department for Correctional Services places its duty of care to victims of crime above the desire for convicted murderers and rapists to have an online penpal profile,” Mr Brown said.

“To date, all formal requests to remove South Australian prisoner profiles from the site have fallen on deaf ears, which is why, in light of the latest addition to iExpress, all South Australian prisons have been instructed to prohibit correspondence between prisoners and Justice Action — the organisation that runs the iExpress social media website.”

Barred from social media while in jail, the inmates send conventional letters to Sydney prisoner advocacy group Justice Action, which then posts their material online.

The department wrote to the site’s administrators last year to ask that profiles of South Australian inmates be taken down — and victims’ rights advocates are appalled that killers could have such freedom on the internet.

Gassy, 56, was found guilty of murdering Dr Tobin as she walked out of an eighth-floor lift at the Citi Centre building on October 14, 2002.

He was sentenced to life with a non-parole period of 30 years, making him eligible for release in November 2032, when he will be 75 years old.

Don Scott, the widower of Margaret Tobin, with a portrait of the state’s slain mental health chief.

Gassy had harboured a grudge against Dr Tobin because he believed she was instrumental in his deregistration as a psychiatrist in New South Wales in the 1990s.

While Gassy was yet to post anything publicly regarding his crimes, the site also provided him with a virtual email account.

Victims of Crime Commissioner Michael O’Connell said prisoners should not have unfettered access to the internet, whether direct or via a third party, like iExpress.

“There is a danger that the internet could be used to intimidate witnesses. Those with drug dependency could use it to organise illicit drug deals. Domestic violence prisoners could use it to stalk their victims,” he said.

“Some victims of violent crime and people bereaved by homicide are appalled that prisoners, some of whom have shown little remorse, can use an iExpress or like services to cultivate pen pals with whom they might seek compassion — where was their compassion for their victims?”

Outgoing messages penned by Gassy are addressed to Justice Action, and then scanned, uploaded and sent as an email.

Incoming messages are received by Justice Action, printed and mailed to Gassy.

The usual censorship procedures employed by prison authorities applies to letters entering and leaving prisons.

Justice Action co-ordinator Brett Collins said the site was committed to being a “positive building exercise” and any comments published were moderated to ensure victims were not offended.

“It is fundamental that we ensure any suggestion the victim caused the crime or lied to cause an unfair conviction which would add tension to the victim we would not publish,” he said.

He said he was disappointed the department had chosen to take “defensive action” against the site as it was being embraced as a useful rehabilitation tool by other states.