Serial killer Regina Arthurell’s arrest on sex allegations sparks fury from victims’ advocate

A fighter for victims’ rights says Regina Arthurell should never have been released — now the convicted murderer has been arrested again.

Serial killer Regina Arthurell, who was arrested last week on sex crime allegations, should never have been released, a victims’ advocate says.

Arthurell, 75, was arrested last week for alleged sexual touching of a 55-year-old man.

The alleged sex abuse has led to the ageing triple killer being refused bail to await trial after less than a year outside prison this century.

She had been released in May 2021 on a rare extended supervision order (ESO) that saw authorities keeping close tabs on her return to society.

Regina Arthurell being removed from his Yagoona unit by a community corrections officer. Picture: John Grainger

A retirement village in Yagoona was outraged when it emerged, a few months later, that Arthurell had been living there under her new female identity since transitioning gender.

But “Regina Kaye”, formerly known as Arthurell, should never have been released at all, victim’s advocate Howard Brown said.

“This was a matter of time, unfortunately,” Mr Brown told The Daily Telegraph.

“No amount of supervision or support can help Arthurell - she’s just too far gone.“

Arthurell’s first kill was the manslaughter of her stepfather in 1974, then the manslaughter of a young man in the Northern Territory in a robbery in 1981.

While on parole in 1995 Arthurell carried out the “callous, senseless” murder of Venet Mulhall, a woman who had struck up a relationship with the killer in prison.

Mr Brown has been supporting Paul Quinn, Ms Mulhall’s brother, through the harrowing court process.

Regina Kaye Arthurell has been refused bail on fresh charges.

Mr Brown said the government could have kept Arthurell in prison by fighting for a continuing detention order (CDO) instead of a supervision order.

A CDO allows the courts to keep people at high risk of serious sexual or violence offences in prison after the end of their sentence.

Attorney General, Mark Speakman, said he had obtained legal advice on getting a CDO against Arthurell but was told it would not succeed.

“After considering that advice, I formed the view that there were zero prospects of success and that as the first law officer in NSW I could not ethically make an application which was doomed to fail,” he said on Sunday.

Police asked Justice Richard Button, in August 2021, to keep Arthurell on an ESO for three years but the judge agreed with experts who said two years was best.

Those same experts had told the judge that Arthurell shouldn’t have to wear an electronic ankle monitor because it was “simply not necessary” and ”oppressive”.

Worse, the experts warned, the imposition of “onerous” restrictions such as ankle bracelets could actually see Arthurell ”escalate” violently.

But Justice Button ordered Arthurell be monitored because she had the capacity to kill thousands of kilometres apart and, despite now being frail, could easily leave Sydney.

Mr Brown, on Sunday, said the experts had essentially revealed that Arthurell either could not, or would not comply with an ESO, so she should never have been released.

“These experts said the restrictions of the ESO weren’t suitable and it’s as obvious as the nose on your face that Arthurell was no chance of complying,” he said.

“So in that case Arthurell shouldn’t have been released under those conditions - Arthurell shouldn’t have been released at all.”

Regina Kaye Arthurell fought against an extended supervision order.

Victims advocate Howard Brown. Picture: AAP Image/Paul Braven

Arthurell‘s ESO required her to tell officers her daily movements by submitting a weekly schedule.

Dozens more conditions were imposed to keep Arthurell away from booze and drugs and monitor her online life after she became embroiled in a fight in a transgender support forum.

Mr Brown said the money spent on “extreme” criminals like Arthurell took away funds needed to help more promising criminals re-enter society.

“Arthurell spent their life in prison as a male and now, to be put in the community to transition, that’s difficult for anyone let alone someone with her deficits,” he said.

“She was set up to fail.”

Mr Brown said the accusations against Arthurell weren‘t just frustrating for her victims’ families but also for the officers and authorities who have tried to keep her off the streets.

“All last week we saw Raptor cracking down on up to 100 Hamzy and Alameddine associates,” he said.

“How frustrating for those officers to think the courts could turn around and do with those Hamzys and Alameddines what they did with Arthurell.”

Arthurell will return to court on February 4.