Killer of schoolgirl Masa Vukotic freed against court orders

Daniel ­Andrews blamed a “catastrophic failure” of the criminal justice system for the murder of Masa Vukotic.

Victorian Premier Daniel ­Andrews yesterday blamed a “catastrophic failure” of the state’s criminal justice system for the brutal murder of Melbourne schoolgirl Masa Vukotic after it was revealed her killer was ­released from detention against the orders of a court.

Violent sex offender Sean Price was freed by the Victorian Adult Parole Board in September last year, six months before he ­fatally stabbed 17-year-old Vukotic in daylight at a park near her home, and with eight years still to serve on a court-ordered detention.

“There is no doubt at all that this was a catastrophic failure of our criminal justice system,” Mr Andrews said.

In one of the strictest detention orders ever issued by a court, Price was sentenced to super­vision and detention at a centre for serious sexual offenders until 2022.

County Court judge Roy Punshon ruled at the time that Price was a serial offender with a high risk of reoffending and was a danger to females.

Price had displayed an escalation in aggression, was a possible sexual deviant, was a substance abuser and had limited insight into his offending.

“On the evidence before me I am satisfied that the respondent will pose an unacceptable risk, as defined, for at least 10 years,” Judge Punshon said.

At the time of the order Price had already attacked eight women, including bashing a treating psychologist while on parole.

He was released from detention despite warnings by experts that he was impulsive, unpredictable and unable to contain his ­violent and sexual urges.

Price, 31, pleaded guilty last month to murdering Vukotic and is due to appear in the Victorian Supreme Court in December for a pre-sentence hearing.

While Mr Andrews said he still had faith in the Adult Parole Board, he refused to rule out further reforms in the wake of the Vukotic murder.

Victoria’s besieged correction system faced a shake-up following the 2012 murder of Jill Meagher by Adrian Ernest Bayley who was on parole for serious sexual ­offences at the time of the killing.

The board was allocated more than $80 million to put in place reforms in the wake a scathing review of its function by former High Court judge Ian Callinan which were designed to ensure dangerous criminals were not released on parole.

A review of Victoria’s system for managing serious sexual offenders by former Supreme Court judge David Harper was launched following Vukotic’s murder.