Lewthwaite case a political set-up: lawyers

LAWYERS for convicted child killer John Lewthwaite believe their client has been "set up" by authorities who want him to remain behind bars until after the NSW state election in March.

LAWYERS for convicted child killer John Lewthwaite believe their client has been "set up" by authorities who want him to remain behind bars until after the NSW state election in March.

Lewthwaite, who served 25 years in jail for the 1974 stabbing murder of five-year-old Sydney girl Nicole Hanns, has been in custody since September after his lifelong parole was revoked following an indecent exposure charge at a southern Sydney beach, of which he was eventually convicted and fined $1000.

Last week, police charged the 51-year-old with exposing himself to two women in a park in Sydney's south in January this year _ allegations that Lewthwaite's solicitor Jack Graeme described yesterday as “ridiculous”.

He labelled the case against Lewthwaite “as weak ... as it's possible to be”.

Speaking after a parole board hearing yesterday, Mr Graeme also repeated Lewthwaite's accusations, published in an open letter earlier this week, that the NSW government was attempting to keep him jailed until after the March election.

That claim was denied by NSW Premier Morris Iemma.

Lewthwaite will be in custody for at least another two months after the NSW State Parole Authority yesterday delayed its decision on his parole until February.

The SPA said it could not rule on Lewthwaite's parole until the two fresh charges were finalised in court.

Lewthwaite's barrister, Richard Button, told the hearing that the alleged victims had identified Lewthwaite on television seven months after the incident in “extremely prejudicial circumstances”, and in any event it was preposterous to suggest that his client, who is gay, would expose himself to women.

SPA acting chairperson Deirdre O'Connor said the public had to be assured that a person in Lewthwaite's situation had been thoroughly assessed.