Masa Vukotic’s murderer Sean Price laughs, apologises in chaotic court hearing
SEAN Price told doctors he planned to go on a Moomba killing spree when the city was filled the families, a court has heard.
UPDATE: SEAN Price told doctors he planned to go on a Moomba killing spree when the city was filled the families, a court has heard.
Expert after expert warned authorities that Price was dangerous, even after he was released from prison back into the community on a supervision order, his Supreme Court plea hearing has been told.
Months after butchering teenager Masa Vukotic in a Doncaster Park, Price pondered the evil he may have got away with had he not been caught.
Evil killer Price told the experts “society needs a devil”.
He told a doctor of his insidious plan to go on a killing spree, attacking people over the Moomba period when families filled the city.
He planned to kill all the way up to April Fool’s Day, which he thought would be a bit of a laugh.
It was his “mission”, he said.
Today (Tuesday), the Supreme Court heard Price should be locked away to rot in jail for the rest of his life.
Again the court heard Price should never have been allowed to roam free in the community.
Even if he did take the medication doctor’s pleaded with him to take, he would still be a menace, particularly to women, they claimed.
But when he smashed up some cars and threatened staff at Ararat’s notorious “Village of the Damned”, the Adult Parole Board cut him loose into the community.
Crown Prosecutor Michele Williams, QC, struggled to explain how or why Price was allowed to leave the village-style complex for sex offenders to live in a unit in Melbourne’s west.
``It’s alarming, but the authorities may have had no choice,’’ she said. ``Maybe there were other options that weren’t taken by the authorities?”
Ms Williams said Corella Place deemed him to be a danger to its staff.
``Why should they take him there,’’ she said. ``Ultimately he was released.’’
Once on the streets, the deluded killer refused to take any of the medication recommended to him.
Nor did he attend any of his appointments with health professionals.
``There were a lot of referrals, but none implemented,’’ Ms Williams said.
Free to kill, Price plotted and planned a merciless kill campaign in a deluded effort to highlight his perceived plight at the hands of the justice system.
Defending himself, Price took to his feet to again complain about his treatment at the hands of authorities.
``I was forced to reside at Corella,’’ he complained. ``It was deemed I was not capable to have full control of my life.’’
Price complained 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, had “limited his movement”.
Price said he had not been treated by a doctor since leaving the facility in October last year.
``I don’t know what treatment I’ve been given in the community,’’ he said. ``There is no treatment on a supervision order.’’
Price said treatment for his particular type of mental illness was not available outside of jail.
``I have never actually knocked back treatment,’’ he claimed. ``I have always attended … the services have never been available.’’
Price called on Justice Lasry to provide him with a non-parole period, arguing jailing him for life was not the answer.
``Will it help protect the community?” he said.
Earlier, Ms Williams called on Justice Lasry to lock Price up for life.
``This man is a danger,’’ she said. ``He should never be released.’’
Price today (Tuesday) backflipped on a request not to be provided any discount on his sentence due to mental illness, telling the court he was schizophrenic and not an evil man.
``I can never cure this,’’ he said. ``Once diagnosed, you are set for life.’’
The court heard while doctors had repeatedly asked Price to take his medication and attend treatment, he had defiantly refused to comply.
``I have refused medication,’’ Price admitted. ``I don’t like it. It hurts … it’s severely restrictive. You dribble. You shuffle. It’s torture.’’
Price argued the kind of treatment he required was not available to him outside of prison.
``If it was just a principle of locking up, I wonder if that is the answer,’’ he said.
Price acknowledged he was looking at a significant jail term for his shocking crimes, which included rape and murder.
``At the end of the day my actions are going to drown out any plea on my behalf,’’ he said.
``I am guilty of these charges and I deserve to be punished badly.’’
But he claimed a life sentence would not rehabilitate him.
``Every expert has indicated there is something wrong with me up top,’’ he said. ``I don’t think that over a long time I can’t be rehabilitated … It’s a long time I’m expecting your honour.’’
Earlier, the court heard Price had devised a mission to kill a month before his two-day rampage, which saw him commit murder, rape and robbery.
Before being sacked, Ms Fox said her client wanted to kill “a lot of people’’ to highlight injustices in the prison system, where he had spent most of his 31 years.
Price told police the victim needed to be from a wealthy neighbourhood in order to gain an “amplified reaction” from the public.
Crime Victims Support Association president Noel McNamara said given Price’s criminal history, it was “unbelievable” he was ever released.
As a serious sexual offender, Price had been placed on a 10-year supervision order in May 2012, following his release after a long stint at the Thomas Embling forensic hospital for stalking, rape and making threats to kill.
Months later he smashed cars belonging to staff.
But a County Court appeal ruling cut to 10 months a 24-month non-parole term, on a three-year, eight-month sentence.
Staff and other inmates at the Corella Place village-style complex for sex offenders near Ararat were terrified of Price’s 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.
When he killed Ms Vukotic he was free on bail on three charges of making threats to kill a prison guard.
Victims of Crime Commissioner Greg Davies said life in jail was the only way to protect the community from such vultures.
“At some stage, someone has to stand up and say, you have lost your right to be walking among us and you must spend the rest of your life in prison,” he said.
Originally published as Masa Vukotic’s murderer Sean Price laughs, apologises in chaotic court hearing