John Leslie Coombes freed to kill again, and again

THE man who dismembered a childcare worker and dumped her body parts off a pier had murdered twice before.

THE sadistic killer who dismembered a childcare worker and dumped her body parts off a pier had murdered twice before, it can now be revealed.

In a move that took police and prosecutors by surprise, John Leslie Coombes yesterday pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court to the murder of Raechel Betts, 27.

Coombes strangled Ms Betts and cut her up in a bathtub after an argument at the Phillip Island home of co-accused Nicole Godfrey in August 2009.

Told Coombes had killed twice before, Betts' family called for a review of the parole system.

Law Institute Victoria spokesman Rob Stary said the parole system would never be failsafe because people occasionally made mistakes.

"It is certainly an unfortunate episode, there is no doubt about that, and with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, it may be that Mr Coombes should never have been released," he said.

He said the parole system was largely successful and more safeguards were in place than ever before.

"What you can't do is predict human behaviour so people will act outside the parameters in which you think they will," he said.

"There are some cases in which people are sentenced literally to the terms of their natural life and I expect the court will take a very harsh view on Mr Coombes."

Ms Betts' body parts were placed in plastic bags and thrown off a pier at nearby Newhaven.

In the wake of yesterday's guilty plea, the Herald Sun can reveal that Coombes had twice been convicted of murder - but was released - before he killed Ms Betts.

In February 1984 he murdered a man named Michael Peter Speirani.

In November the same year he murdered Henry Desmond Kells.

Coombes received a life term in December 1985 for the Kells murder.

In April 1990 he was granted an 11-year minimum term. For the Speirani murder he was ordered, in April 1998, to serve 15 years with a 10-year minimum.

Raechel's grandfather, Neville Betts, told the Herald Sun that while Coombes had pleaded guilty to the murder, "the whole experience needs to be looked at".

"I've got seven granddaughters ... Raechel was the oldest, and when she was taken out you wonder why, and you wonder how," he said.

"It's all very hard. What I do know now ... the parole system has to be seriously looked at. This man murdered, and was paroled, and he came out and murdered again.

"With two murders under his belt, both convictions, he went forward and murdered the third time."

The system "got it so wrong" in allowing a "beast to come among us again".

 Mr Betts and Raechel's mother, Sandra Betts, said Coombes's decision to plead guilty yesterday was a small step towards justice.

"It's the most honest thing he's done so far, that's for sure," Sandra Betts said outside the Supreme Court after the surprise plea.

Coombes decided to change his plea during a morning of pre-trial argument. When asked how he pleaded to the charge of murdering Ms Betts, he replied: "Guilty, Your Honour."

Coombes will next appear in court before Justice Geoff Nettle on June 24.

Nicole Godfrey, 28, had already pleaded guilty to attempting to pervert the course of justice after providing Coombes with a false alibi.

Last week she received a three-year jail term, suspended for three years.

- with Jessica Craven