Justice revamp needed to keep evil crims under lock and key
The parents of a man killed in a horrific and violent attack have called for an overhaul of sentencing laws, saying some people are so evil, they should never be released.
Police & Courts
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The parents of a victim of one of Queensland’s most horrific and violent killings have called for an overhaul of sentencing laws, saying some people are so evil, they should never be released.
Brian John Woodman has become the third person to be subject to a new law that allows the Queensland Parole Board to declare someone a “restricted prisoner” and block them from applying for parole for up to 10 years past their eligibility date.
The laws were introduced following a campaign to prevent Barrie Watts, who abducted, raped and murdered 12-year-old Sunshine Coast schoolgirl Sian Kingi, from being released.
Woodman, along with Scott Geoffrey Maygar, carried out the sadistic and prolonged killings of Michael Thompson, 30, David Lyons and Tyson Wilson, both 17, in Toowoomba in 2005. They also raped a young woman after holding a knife to her baby’s throat.
A third youth was jailed for taking part in the murders, which he said he did to avoid being murdered himself. That youth has since been released.
Woodman’s crimes were so heinous, a court agreed his identity should be made public despite him being a juvenile at the time.
One judge described the killings as being “unimaginable if they had not actually occurred”.
Ross and Margie Thompson, whose son Michael was murdered by the trio, said they were grateful a declaration had been made preventing Woodman from applying for parole again until 2030.
The eight-year declaration was made on December 22, 2022, although Woodman had been eligible for parole since 2020.
Mr Thompson said Woodman, who was just 16 when he killed three people, should never be released.
“The whole system just needs to be revamped,” Mr Thompson, a former general manager of the Queensland Homicide Victims Support Group, said.
“These guys, they’ve committed Queensland’s most heinous crime, yet, here they are, they are applying for parole to walk on our streets.
“If people actually read what they did, not just to Michael but to David and Tyson, if people knew exactly what they did, they’d throw the key away.
“For them to do what they did – they are just barbaric. They shouldn’t ever be released.
“Life should mean life. Instead, we’re the ones with the life sentence.”
Woodman was sentenced to life in prison, with parole eligibility after 15 years for two counts of murder, one count of manslaughter and rape.
A motive was never established, but the victims were subjected to a prolonged and extremely graphic assault involving metal bars, a knife and a hammer.
The Thompsons said they believed Michael had taken in Woodman and Maygar because they had been sleeping under a bridge near his home.
“They shouldn’t be allowed in our society. They’re dangerous. They’re wolves in sheeps clothing,” Margie said.
“Michael had Asperger’s syndrome. Everybody took advantage of his kindness. He was a very kind person. Mikey was full of love for everybody. I just miss him so much.”
Mr Thompson said his son’s generosity had been repaid with his horrific murder.
He said both Woodman and Maygar laughed throughout the trial and had offended again while behind bars.
“Leopards don’t change their spots,” he said.
“These animals have proven that they are animals.”
Last year, child killers Gregory Andrew Brownsey and Alan William Craig became the first two people in Queensland to be declared “restricted prisoners”.
Craig, who murdered his two-year-old nephew by slitting his throat at a property near Bundaberg in 2006, will be prevented from applying for parole for another five years with the order expiring in March 2027.
Brownsey, who was convicted of the 1988 murder of Strathpine teenager Justin Somers, was blocked from applying for parole for another eight years, with the order to run until June 6, 2030.
The laws apply to people who have murdered multiple people or a child.
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