Masa Vukotic’s killer Sean Price shocks own lawyers by admitting to rape
UPDATE: PREMIER Daniel Andrews has admitted the criminal justice system failed Masa Vukotic and her family when it allowed the man who would kill her to go free.
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PREMIER Daniel Andrews has admitted the criminal justice system failed Masa Vukotic and her family when it allowed the man who would kill her to go free.
“That Sean Price was free and largely unmonitored in our community was a catastrophic failing of the criminal justice system,” Mr Andrews said last night.
Mr Andrews said today that he was “determined to do everything we can to make sure it doesn’t fail anybody else”.
“I’ve spoken with (Masa’s) mum, some months ago, and I didn’t think it was right to speak with her yesterday I will speak with her probably today,” Mr Andrews told 3AW.
Price, as a serious sexual offender, had been placed on a 10-year supervision order in May 2012, following his release after a lengthy stint at the Thomas Embling forensic hospital for stalking, rape, and making threats to kill.
He was to have been electronically monitored.
The Herald Sun can reveal that after the murder, the State Government reviewed every sex offender on a supervision order, including those in the infamous Corella Place centre and more than 50 others living in the community.
As a result, two men deemed a threat to the public were returned to Corella Place, near Ararat, which houses sex offenders who are being supervised at the order of a court.
Scroll down to read details of Price’s disturbing criminal history
An independent panel, led by former Supreme Court judge David Harper, is due to report by October on how dangerous sexual offenders are being managed.
It is expected to make a range of recommendations on fixing what Mr Andrews said was “this broken system”.
Changes had also been made to strengthen supervision, Mr Andrews said.
The Government was unable, or unwilling, to say who was to blame for allowing Price to be at large.
And it would not comment on a 2014 County Court appeal ruling that cut to 10 months a 24-month non-parole term, on a three years and eight-month sentence, for Price for assaulting patients at Corella Place and smashing property.
On the New Year’s Eves of 2012 and 2013, Price smashed cars belonging to staff.
Staff and other inmates at Corella Place were terrified of his uncontrollable rages, and his behaviour generated deep concern about what he might do when released, raising questions about why he was freed in October last year.
But for his successful appeal, Price would have been in jail at the time of the murder.
And when he killed Ms Vukotic on March 17, Price — despite his history of violent sexual offending — was also out on bail on three charges of making threats to kill and one of threatening to inflict serious injury.
Court documents obtained by the Herald Sun also reveal that just weeks before he killed Ms Vukotic, Price’s bail was extended during a mention hearing at Sunshine Magistrates’ Court.
His bail conditions required that he report to police each Thursday, surrender his passport, not attend any points of international departure, and not contact witnesses for the prosecution.
He was also banned from being within 200 metres of Port Phillip Prison, where he was alleged to have threatened to kill prison guards.
Following Ms Vukotic’s murder, as a statewide manhunt was under way for him, Price even checked in at Sunshine Police Station to comply with those bail conditions.
He was allowed to leave the police station — after which he embarked on a spree of violent crime, including raping a woman.
But questions have been raised about why, given his significant criminal history of sexual violence, Price was granted bail in the first place.
In 2004, Price pleaded guilty to raping, assaulting and threatening to kill women in attacks in Melbourne’s east.
Among his victims was a 13-year-old girl.
He also assaulted a mother of two in her home, and raped a 21-year-old woman in public.
He has admitted similar crime sprees in NSW but has not been charged.
On Thursday morning, in a move that shocked his own lawyers, Price pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court to raping a woman two days after he murdered Ms Vukotic.
He also formally pleaded guilty to murdering the schoolgirl, 17, in a park near her Doncaster home, robbing another man in Sunshine two days later, and attempting to steal a BMW.
Price told police he had raped the woman “to get his rocks off” because he knew he would spend years behind bars for murdering Ms Vukotic.
Price had planned the chilling murder for weeks, researching notorious killer Ivan Milat and a lesser-known serial killer, Thomas Quick.
Flanked by five prison guards Price, dressed in a black suit, white shirt and runners, appeared calm as he entered his guilty pleas before Justice Lex Lasry.
Price will return to the Supreme Court on December 14 for a plea hearing.
Price’s shocking criminal history
July 2003 — Aged 19, Price is charged with 15 offences for four sex attacks in the eastern suburbs — including Balwyn, North Balwyn and Camberwell — over a six week period. Victims are aged from their early 20s to late 30s. Hands himself into police after a report in Herald Sun.
September 2004 — Pleads guilty to 22 charges, after seven more counts are added. These include rape, indecent assault, stalking and making threats to kill. His youngest victim is just 13. His oldest is 36. Defence tells court he was suffering from undiagnosed schizophrenia and heard voices in his head at time of seven daylight attacks between February 2002 and June 2003. The prosecutor said Price told police he got “the biggest high” from attacks.
11 October 2004 — Sentenced to five-and-a-half years at Thomas Embling Hospital. Sentencing remarks state the attacks were brazen, repulsive and extremely frightening. The maximum sentence was eight years and two months’ secure hospital detention, with five-and-a-half years’ minimum. He was also placed on the sex offenders register.
22 February 2006 — While at Thomas Embling Hospital, Price punches then health minister Tony Abbott in face, as well as kicking him during a visit.
Date unknown — Assaults a worker at Thomas Embling and is sentenced to two months in prison.
31 December 2012 — Price destroys vehicles in car park of Corella Place facility.
31 December 2013 — Assaults three patients, runs off and smashes windows of cars in car park and all the office windows. The Herald Sun understands he was sentenced to three years and two months detention, with a two-year minimum. However, Price successfully appeals and only serves 10-months.
2 October 2014 — Is released from Port Phillip Prison into the community.
17 March 2015 — Attacks and murders Masa Vukotic, 17, in Doncaster park.
18 March 2015 — Police release CCTV of unknown man running from scene and pictures of man boarding bus towards city.
19 March 2015 — Price attacks and robs man of mobile phone in Sunshine and attempts to carjack an elderly man. He is later arrested after attending a corrections office for appointment.
17 August 2015 — Price pleads guilty to murder and robbery.
27 August 2015 — Price pleads guilty to raping a woman — after earlier walking into the Sunshine police station.
