Parolee victims’ families may split $3m compensation
FAMILIES of those killed by parolees would split up to $3 million if the state government agrees to settle a long-running legal fight over Correction’s Victoria’s failures to raise “red flags”.
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FAMILIES of those killed by parolees would split up to $3 million if the state government agrees to a settlement.
The long-running legal fight to sue the state centres on Corrections Victoria’s failures to raise “red flags’’ about dangerous parolees.
Relatives of murder victims Raechel Betts, Sarah Cafferkey, Elsa Corp, Dermot O’Toole, Joanne Wicking, Evan Rudd and Douglas Phillips have launched individual civil cases in the County Court, claiming the system failed them.
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It is believed the Andrews Government, through its legal department, has denied the state breached its duty of care to any of the families seeking compensation.
Legislation safeguards the government.
But Shine Lawyers believes the families have a case, citing a precedent in another state.
The Sunday Herald Sun believes barristers are trying to get a settlement figure or take the case to trial.
It would rely heavily on the actions of Corrections Victoria in monitoring and reporting of “red flags’’ raised by their staff about parolees who went on to kill.
Corrections Victoria has previously refused to hand over its files.
After Ms Corp’s murder in a South Melbourne hotel room while on a blind date in 2010 with parolee David Patrick Clifford, it was revealed the convicted drug trafficker had already breached his parole.
Corrections Victoria was notified Clifford had been arrested on three occasions before he killed Ms Corp.
Elsa Corp’s mother, Gillian, said the government’s first priority was the welfare of the criminal and not the victim.
“It is five years since our claim was lodged,’’ Ms Corp said.
“We know the wheels of justice grind slowly, but this seems an extraordinarily long delay.
“The bottom line is that they knowingly allowed dangerous criminals into the community; this failed to protect innocent people like our beautiful daughter Elsa.
“They again put more emphasis on the welfare of a known violent repeat offender than ultimately on an innocent young girl.”
Rachel Betts’s mother, Sandra, said more must be done to fix the justice system.
“I want to put pressure on the government to make further reforms of Corrections procedures, prison programs, (and the) assessment of serious violent offenders,” Ms Betts said. “I also want compensation. I have lost my capacity to work, lost my superannuation and suffered serious and ongoing mental health illness.”
Sarah Cafferkey’s mother, Noelle Dickson, has been unable to get notes from Corrections Victoria about her murderer, Steven Hunter.
Hunter, who had just completed his parole nine days earlier, had been selling the drug ice in the Bacchus Marsh area.