Allison Baden-Clay’s family break silence on wife killer’s looming parole

Allison Baden-Clay’s sister says her family has been living with a shadow over their lives as they wait for the day her killer will be eligible for parole.

The daughters of murder victim Allison Baden-Clay are nervous and anxious about the possibility that their mother’s killer could be released from jail in three years.

Allison’s sister Vanessa Fowler said her family had been living with a shadow over their lives as they wait for the day Allison’s killer, husband Gerard Baden-Clay, will be eligible for parole in June 2027.

Ms Fowler said that even though it was three years away, the whole family was already on edge.

“As each day passes, that date is looming, and it’ll be here before we know it,” she said.

“It’s a nervous time (for the family), and ­particularly considering Allison’s three girls, everyone’s very anxious.

“They are anxious about June 2027 and the possible parole date, because they built a life for themselves.

Allison Baden-Clay.

“And they’re independent now, and they have a lot to look forward to in their lives … this is just another trigger and another obstacle that’s going to be very traumatic for them.”

Allison disappeared from the Brookfield home, in Brisbane’s west, that she shared with her husband Baden-Clay and their three daughters in April 2012.

Her body was found 10 days later, 13km away in bushland.

Baden-Clay, who had been having an affair, denied killing Allison but was convicted of her murder.

He was sentenced to life in jail, with a non-parole period of 15 years, which was the maximum in Queensland at the time the murder was committed in 2012.

The laws changed on Aug­ust 21, 2012, just four months after Allison’s death. The non-parole period for murder is now 20 years in Queensland.

Vanessa Fowler. Picture: David Clark

Ms Fowler said even though it had been more than 10 years, the loss did not get easier.

“There’s always that dark space in your world that can never be filled and especially, from the perspective of her three daughters, we feel for them every day,” she said.

“The fact that they lost their mum, but they’ve grown up into beautiful young women.”

Ms Fowler said she felt disappointed that Baden-Clay had only received a life sentence of 15 years.

“Allison was murdered in 2012, he was convicted in 2014, so it took a couple of years. He still only got the 15 years,” she said.

“And so he was arrested in 2012 and so he started serving his sentence in 2012 and so by 2014, taking into consideration the time already served, parole is eligible in June 2027.”

Ms Fowler said there was not much they could do because the laws had changed.

“We certainly would like to see that extended to 20 years. Those people that are eligible  in just a few years’ time should be given the same sentence as those currently as the law states, which is 20 years,” she said.

“Perhaps somebody might be able to consider changing the laws … those couple of years where the incident occurred, the murder occurred, and there was such a time lapse between when it happened and when he was convicted.”