Sarah Cafferkey’s murderer was ‘able to play the system’

A CONVICTED murderer who was on parole was able to play the system before killing Sarah Cafferkey, a Victorian coroner says.

Sarah Cafferkey, 22, was brutally murdered.

A CONVICTED murderer who was on parole was able to play the system before killing Sarah Cafferkey, a Victorian coroner says.

Judge Ian Gray said Steven James Hunter posed a real risk to the community when his parole period ended in 2012, 11 days before he killed Ms Cafferkey.

But the Adult Parole Board was not made aware of a report that made it clear Hunter needed substantial further intervention.

“Because of his unchanged attitude towards violence, in particular violence against women, Hunter posed a real risk to the community, both when he commenced his parole and at the end of his parole period,” Judge Gray said.

Judge Gray said Hunter’s case workers were overly prepared to accept his self-assessment of his progress on parole and did not bring sufficient rigour or scepticism to the task.

“Hunter was able to play the system,” the judge said.

Judge Gray said there was an opportunity to intervene with Hunter before his parole finished.

“It was only a brief window of opportunity but should have been taken,” he said.

Judge Gray has recommended a supervision system for sexual offenders be extended to include serious violent offenders, but commended major reforms to the parole system since Ms Cafferkey’s murder.

Hunter had been on parole for assault and kidnapping offences, and this was due to end 11 days before he killed Cafferkey.

Sarah Cafferkey, 22, was killed by Hunter. Pic.

He now serving life in prison without parole for Ms Cafferkey’s murder.

Last year’s inquest, which was requested by Ms Cafferkey’s family, looked at issues including how effectively Corrections Victoria monitored Hunter after his parole expired. Hunter had previously served 13 years for killing a young woman in 1986 after she rejected his sexual advances.

Sentencing of Steven James Hunter who killed Sarah Cafferkey.

Ms Cafferkey’s mother Noelle Dickson, who campaigned for the inquest, said there were obviously faults in the system and information was not getting through to the Parole Board.

“Obviously for me and all these victims that have suffered terribly through these flaws and faults ... We’re never going to get our loved ones back but all we can do is hope and pray that the government sorts out this justice system,” she told reporters.

Hunter had a long history of drug use but was not assessed as requiring further intervention in the community.

He had used the drug ice when he killed Ms Cafferkey.

Ms Cafferkey met Hunter through friends and began partying and doing drugs with him.

He later stabbed her 17 times and bashed her to death with a hammer.

Her badly battered body was found outside a Point Cook home dumped in a wheelie bin, which the murderer filled with concrete to try to cover up his crime.

Hunter had driven her dead body stuffed in a car boot from his Bacchus Marsh home, where he had continued to text her as she lay dead on his kitchen floor, another part of his cover plan.

Sarah Cafferkey.