Notorious Qld criminals eligible for parole in 2025
Convicted killers, drug traffickers and sex offenders headline a long list of notorious Queensland criminals who could return to cities and towns throughout the state this year. SEE WHO
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The notorious criminals who have a shot at parole this year include convicted killers, rapists, or drug traffickers.
Each of these offenders were given set parole eligibility dates at the time of their sentence – but that does not guarantee their release.
When an offender is given a parole eligibility date in Queensland, they are required to submit a parole application to the Parole Board once eligible in order to secure their release.
The Board then assesses their suitability for release back into the community based on a number of factors including performance in custody, criminal history, mental health, and community safety.
See the offenders expected to make their case for release this year:
CONVICTED KILLERS
LAURA ROSE PEVERILL
The Townsville mum was sentenced to seven years jail in 2023 for the death of her three-year-old daughter.
Rylee-Rose Black was found unresponsive in the back seat of Toyota Prado at her Burdell home on November 27, 2020.
The Townsville Supreme Court heard she had been locked inside the vehicle for over five hours in temperatures that reached over 50-degrees.
The court heard Peverill and her boyfriend had picked up groceries earlier that day, and removed the groceries when they returned home – but not Rylee.
The couple stayed inside the house watching Netflix for the next five hours, and didn’t find Rylee until Peverill went out to pick up older children from school.
Peverill pleaded guilty to manslaughter, and her parole eligibility date was set for July 3, 2025.
NATALIE JADE WHITEHEAD
The Ipswich mum, who was “willing to put drugs before (her) children’s lives,” was sentenced to nine years jail last October for the death of her eight and a half month baby Dexter Wilton.
Whitehead may be released as soon as June this year, however, due to the over three-years she spent remanded in presentence custody.
The Brisbane Supreme Court was told at Whitehead’s sentence how emergency services had found her clutching her deceased baby to her chest, crying at her Ipswich unit on June 21, 2019.
Baby Dexter died of malnourishment after Whitehead neglected him while on a drug bender, the court was told.
“Quite simply, she (Whitehead) chose to nourish her drug habit over her infant,” Crown prosecutor Matt LeGrand said.
Whitehead was originally charged with murder, but that charge was later dropped and she pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.
Whitehead’s parole eligibility date was set for June 23, when she will have served half of her sentence.
KILLER DRIVERS
JUSTIN WAYNE ALDERTON
Alderton broke down in tears in court as he was sentenced for killing 60-year-old Walter Newton in a horror Bruce Highway crash on July 16, 2021.
Mackay District Court heard Alderton had been driving dangerously under the influence of meth when he swerved onto the wrong side of the road near Pindi Pindi, north of Mackay.
Two cars took evasive action, but Alderton’s ute ploughed into the third, killing Mr Newton.
Mr Newton’s son Walter Junior was also injured in the crash and was forced to delay his apprenticeship due to “successive surgeries,” the court was told.
Alderton gave a teary apology to Walter Junior after pleading guilty to one count of dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death and grievous bodily harm.
He was sentenced in 2023 to six years in jail, with parole eligibility on April 30, 2025.
Alderton’s licence was disqualified absolutely.
NATHAN JOHN GAY
Gay is currently serving time for his “grossly irresponsible” decision that claimed the life of his close friend, Jayson Halpin.
Toowoomba District Court heard Gay was four times the legal alcohol limit when he drove at 200km/h on the Warrego Highway and collided with the rear end of a LandCruiser near Bowenville.
Mr Halpin, 50, was killed on impact as the passenger side of Gay’s sedan went under the LandCruiser.
Gay, who returned a BAC of 0.205 following the crash, pleaded guilty to one count of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, causing death while adversely affected by an intoxicating substance and while speeding.
He was sentenced to seven years jail, with an indefinite licence disqualification and parole eligibility on January 30, 2025.
SEFO PAU
Paul faced Mackay District Court in 2022 for the 2021 collision that killed father-of-three Scott Burrage.
Mr Burrage, 35, had been sitting in his parked Toyota Prado on the driveway to the Mirani waste treatment plant when Pau slammed into the left passenger side door.
Pau, who became trapped upside down in his car after it “flew” over top of Mr Burrage’s, told a paramedic he thought he had been travelling at around 140 to 150kmh.
When he was told the other driver had passed away, the court heard Pau responded: “why is it every time I try to do myself over I end up with a stitch?”
Mr Burrage’s heartbroken widow faced Pau at his sentence, saying she couldn’t “begin to imagine the horror he would have felt in his last moments”.
“Did you have any idea what it feels like to have your child tell you that daddy can’t love them anymore because he’s in heaven and not with them?”
Pau pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death while excessively speeding – with the court hearing he had been reacting to an argument with his mother against a background of a likely major depressive episode and methylamphetamine withdrawal.
Pau was sentenced to eight years jail with parole eligibility on January 27, 2025.
VIOLENT CRIMES
JOHN MATTHEW FITZGERALD
Fitzgerald was convicted by a Brisbane jury in 2021 of stabbing a drunk stranger in an “act of random violence”.
The Brisbane Supreme Court was told how Fitzgerald had used a folding knife to stab Josue Natanael Espinosa-Cassanelli in the neck at a Woolloongabba unit in 2019.
Mr Espinosa-Cassanelli had drunkenly barged into the unit looking for an acquaintance, before Fitzgerald inflicted the 8cm wound that nearly severed his jugular vein.
One witness described seeing “blood all over the floor … like a fire hydrant had been released”.
The court heard Mr Espinosa-Cassanelli had no memory of the attack, but underwent emergency surgery at the PA Hospital.
The jury found Fitzgerald not guilty of attempted murder, but guilty of a charge of malicious act with intent.
Fitzgerald was sentenced to nine-and-a-half years jail, with parole eligibility on April 19, 2025.
DAVID JAMES NICHOLS
Nichols faced court last year for ramming a police car on a Caboolture road on March 12, 2022.
Brisbane District Court was told Nichols reached speeds of up to 117kmh on River Drive – which was a 60kmh zone – before the collision.
The court heard he had gotten into a serious fight with his roommate earlier that day, which had resulted in a stabbing.
Three officers had been responding to reports of the stabbing at the time when they were struck by Nichols, the court was told.
They suffered a range of injuries – with one requiring months of treatment and suffering ongoing nerve damage, facial scarring, and reduced use of his ankle.
Nichols pleaded guilty to charges including dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing grievous bodily harm, wounding, wilful damage, serious assault and driving without a licence.
He was sentenced to six years jail with parole eligibility in July 2025.
CHRISTOPHER DANIEL ROSE
The former rugby union star was jailed for six years for a “terrifying” episode in which he beat his partner unconscious and drove her to a secluded bush location.
Rose trapped the woman in a car boot with duct tape and a shovel, before telling her he would “dig a little hole”, the Bundaberg District Court was told at his sentence last February.
The court heard how the woman had informed Rose earlier that day that she wanted to end the relationship.
Rose responded by asking her to drive him to another location, then repeatedly punching her and kneeing her unconscious while she was in the driver’s seat, the court was told.
Rose pleaded guilty to charges of assault occasioning bodily harm, deprivation of liberty and unlawful use of a motor vehicle.
His parole eligibility date was set for January 31, 2025.
JAMES KENNETH ANTHONY SCOULLER
Scouller was sentenced to five years jail in 2023 after he fired a gun towards a stranger during a road rage incident.
A Bundaberg court heard how Scouller had rear-ended a white ute while driving a stolen motorbike near the Sugarland Shopping Centre in August, 2022.
Video was played to the court, capturing the ute’s passenger asking Scouller where his number plates were.
The court heard Scouller pulled out a shortened 22. rifle in response, saying “that’s my number plate” – before later following after the ute’s passenger and shooting towards him.
Scouller fled the scene after the other man managed to duck and avoid being shot, the court was told.
He pleaded guilty at sentence to two counts of unlawful possession of a weapon and acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm.
Parole eligibility was sent for May 14, 2025.
SEX OFFENDERS
JACOB ALEXANDER CONNOLLY
Connolly groomed a 12-year-old girl and raped another girl while masquerading as a teenager, Hervey Bay District Court was told at his sentence last August.
Connolly, 28 at the time of sentence, told the 12-year-old he was 14 – then later 18 – as they engaged in a “messaging relationship” for some time.
The court heard Connolly told the girl “in graphic terms” that he wanted to have sex with her and asked her to masturbate over video call.
The girl had snuck out of home and attempted to travel to the Fraser Coast to meet with Connolly, but a suspicious bus depot employee contacted police.
The court heard Connolly had also digitally raped another girl, who was under 16, after he asked her to move in with him.
Connolly pleaded guilty to using an electronic communication device to procure a child under 16, three counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16, possessing child exploitation material, penile intercourse with a child under 16, and rape.
He was sentenced to five years in jail, with parole eligibility on September 7, 2025.
ALBERT CHARLES MARC CRONIN
Cronin was jailed for nine years in November 2021 for three counts of rape and other sexual offences.
Gympie District Court was told Cronin had sexually abused three young girls over a prolonged period.
Cronin had been on a disability pension since he was 16 due to a low IQ that left him on the borderline of intellectual disability, the court was told.
He had also been addicted to alcohol for most of his adult life, and was a user of illicit drugs.
Judge Glen Cash said Cronin was “not fully aware of the harm (he was) causing” due to his intellectual impairment, but that regardless “we will not tolerate people who prey on young girls”.
Parole eligibility was set for May 8, 2025.
ROBERT LOUIS GIBSON
Robert Louis Gibson violently raped a woman just days after stuffing a dead body in a wheelie bin.
The Brisbane Supreme Court heard Gibson had attempted to cover for his mate by stuffing Kim Mitchell’s body in a bin after a violent struggle in late 2018.
“You had knowledge of the circumstances where Mr Mitchell died, where severe injuries were inflicted upon him,” Justice Leslie Brown.
“You treated Mr Mitchell with no respect, you cast him aside like rubbish.”
The court heard Gibson was on the run in the following days when he targeted a woman at a pub, telling her he had “money and meth because we beat the f--k out of some guy” – claiming to be a “murderer” on the run.
Gibson then repeatedly raped the woman in a park.
He pleaded guilty to four counts of rape and being an accessory after the fact to manslaughter.
He was sentenced to eight years in jail for the rape charges and three years for being an accessory after the fact to manslaughter.
Parole eligibility was set for September 2025.
CHARLES ROBERT HOLT
The repeat child sex offender is expected to be made eligible for parole on April 4 for his latest set of offences against young children.
Holt was sentenced to nine years jail in 2018 after a jury found him guilty of maintaining a sexual relationship with a child.
He then returned to court in June 2021 for four counts of indecent treatment of a child and one of rape – committed against two sisters.
The court heard Holt had committed the offences while subject to a probation order handed down in 1977 for a charge of carnal knowledge relating to the brother of the two sisters.
In sentencing Holt for his offending against the two sisters, Judge Jeff Clarke said Holt had “used (the) children for (his) own sexual gratification”.
“You have destroyed the lives of four innocent children and their families.”
He sentenced Holt to five-and-a-half-years jail with parole eligibility on April 4, 2025.
DRUG CRIMES
JACK ANDREW DUKES
Dukes was sentenced to nine years jail last April after police found more than $90,000 drugs in his car.
The Toowoomba Supreme Court heard police intercepted the recidivist drug dealer at Dalby in April 2023 with 332g of meth hidden in his car.
When searching his phone, police found evidence of 26 arranged methamphetamine drug deals – of which 16 actually occurred.
Dukes pleaded guilty at sentence to trafficking and possessing methamphetamine.
The court heard he had been on a suspended sentence at the time for the same offence.
With 352 days presentence custody declared time served, Duke’s parole eligibility was set for April 22, 2025.
MARK WILLIAM EVELYN
Evelyn unsuccessfully attempted to appeal the nine-year jail sentence he received in 2022 for possessing almost 300g of methylamphetamine.
He claimed the sentence along with his April 20, 2025, parole date was manifestly excessive given his mental health conditions.
Evelyn had been on parole for 97 fraud and drug offences when he arrived in Cairns, from Brisbane, under a false name in June 2021, appeal documents reveal.
Police searched his hotel room on the day he arrived and found 218 grams of pure methamphetamine, which it was alleged he possessed for commercial purposes.
Police also found $3,230 cash, nine mobile phones in a suitcase, a laptop, and digital scales.
On appeal, Justice Jean Dalton found that Evelyn hadn’t put forward submissions relating to mental health conditions at sentence.
She found the sentence was not manifestly excessive, and ordered the 2025 parole eligibility date still stand.
BEAU ANTHONY GRAHAM
Graham was sentenced to nine-and-a-half years jail in 2022 for trafficking drugs across Rockhampton for over a year.
The Rockhampton Supreme Court was told Graham and others had trafficked methamphetamine between January 1, 2019, and February 20, 2020.
Graham had delivered meth to dead drop points along rural roads, where members of the syndicate would retrieve ounces at a time to sell, the court was told.
The court heard Graham and two co-accused used the drug revenue to purchase vehicles including a mechanical digger and a Mercedes, place money in investment accounts, invest in family businesses, transfer money to an international bank account, and spend thousands on international holidays to Thailand and Vietnam.
He had been using 1.5g of meth per day at the time of his arrest, but had returned 97 negative drug tests in the years since.
Graham pleaded guilty to trafficking dangerous drugs.
Parole eligibility was sent for February 23, 2025.
Originally published as Notorious Qld criminals eligible for parole in 2025
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