‘He destroyed my life’

A VICTIM of convicted axe murderer Edward James Horrell says he should never be released from prison following his conviction for walking out of a prison work camp

A VICTIM of convicted axe murderer Edward James Horrell says he should never be released from prison following his conviction for walking out of a prison work camp.

Horrell, 62, was sentenced to seven months prison for walking out of a Nhulunbuy prison work camp on November 10. The daughter of the woman murdered by Horrell in 1994, spoke outside the NT Supreme Court after his sentencing yesterday. Horrell will be eligible for parole after serving 27 years and seven months in prison.

He has so far served almost 21 years of a life sentence for the murder of his pregnant partner, who he beat to death with an axe before assaulting her eight-year-old son and kidnapping and raping her daughter, 18.

The daughter said yesterday she was detained by Horrell during the two-day ordeal. She said Horrell destroyed her family and should never be released from prison. “He should never get out, we don’t want him out,” she said. “He’s taken everything away. Our name has been dragged through the dirt.”

His escape came days after Corrections staff informed him his classification allowing him to work was to be revoked.

Horrell was set to be returned to Darwin to serve the remainder of his sentence.

Horrell handed himself into police at Nhulunbuy two days after his escape. Justice Peter Barr said during the sentencing hearing that Horrell breached the trust placed in him by Corrections staff.

“There were significant problems with what you did; first there was a breach of trust placed in you,” he said.

“Significant resources were diverted into the police search for you. There was community concern and alarm that you had escaped and remained at large.”

Justice Barr said Horrell had never previously attempted to escape from custody and had taken a leadership role among younger indigenous prisoners.