Trinity Bates murder: Parents of Bundaberg girl, 8, speak out as killer becomes eligible for parole

The parents of Bundaberg girl Trinity Bates who was abducted from her bedroom and murdered have opened up on the never ending nightmare as her killer becomes eligible for release.

Damien Bates and Amanda Clarke - the parents of murdered Bundaberg girl Trinity Bates whose body was dumped in a drain in 2010.

It’s a normal Sunday night in the Bates household and eight-year-old Trinity says goodnight to her parents for the last time.

This seemingly routine evening will become the worst night of their lives - the night their sweet, innocent daughter is taken from her bed by a monster.

For the first time in 15 years, parents Damien Bates and Amanda Clarke have opened up to The Sunday Mail about the murder of their little girl as her killer - Allyn John Slater - becomes eligible to be released from prison.

“The last 15 years have been like a living hell that we can’t escape,” Mrs Clarke said.

“Just the thought of this happening is terrifying, the impact for our family would be unimaginable.”

Trinity Bates was just a little girl - loving and caring, with a flare for drawing and obsessed with her baby sister.

She was in year four at the tiny Gooburrum State School in her hometown of Bundaberg - the kind of town where everyone knew everyone.

Trinity Bates, 8, has been remembered by her family as a loving and caring little girl who loved drawing and being outside.

Allyn John Slater. Picture: Facebook

One of those people was then-19-year-old Allyn Slater - the older brother of Trinity’s best friend who lived a few streets away.

The family had known Slater since he was a child, had watched him grow and most of all, they trusted him.

So on the night of February 21, 2010, Mrs Clarke said goodnight to her daughter, completely unaware the boy they watched grow up would take away Trinity’s chance at the same.

“The last thing I said to Trin was goodnight, I love you, see you in the morning,” Mrs Clarke said.

Mr Bates woke up early on Monday morning for work, put his boots on and walked out the front door when something caught his eye.

A green garden chair propped up against the house near Trinity’s bedroom and her window open.

“I thought that was weird for the chair to be there, and she always slept with the windows closed,” Mr Bates said.

“I went back inside to say goodbye and she wasn’t there.”

Damian Bates and wife Amanda Clarke the parents of Trinity Bates who was murdered 15 years ago. Photo Paul Beutel

Panic started to set in. They called her name, pleaded with her to come out from where she was hiding, and checked her usual hiding spots. But nothing.

The next moments are vivid in the mind of Mr Bates - police, questions, frantic searches, absolute chaos, and the heartwrenching truth which changed their lives forever.

Trinity’s little body was found in a stormwater drain just 50m from home just after 6am on February 22, 2010.

She had been abducted from her bed in the middle of the night and murdered by the man she’d known her whole life.

Slater had drowned Trinity, choked her, and dragged her body through the drain where he left her lying facedown in the water, covered in cuts and bruises.

He has never given any reason for murdering Trinity.

Police at the Bates family home where eight-year-old Trinity Bates was abducted and found murdered. Picture: Liam Kidston.

His arrest saw an eruption of deep anger in the Bundaberg community, with distraught mourners hurling abuse at him during a tense court protest and others calling for him to be killed.

In 2012, Slater was sentenced to life in prison after changing his plea just days before his murder trial was set to begin.

But in May, Slater was sentenced for making child exploitation material while serving time in a Brisbane prison for Trinity’s murder. Police will allege he created a “depraved” novel fantasising about inflicting violent sexual abuse on children.

Slater’s fantasies included descriptions of him abducting children from their parents, before impregnating and marrying them, the court was told.

SES workers help find evidence in the storm water drain where Trinity Bates was found murdered in Bundaberg. Picture: Liam Kidston.

Slater will be eligible for parole in August, but Trinity’s parents are pleading that he is not released from jail.

“I don’t think anyone who preys on the most vulnerable people in the world should be allowed to be out,” Mr Bates said.

“Obviously he hasn’t reformed and shows no remorse, I doubt anyone that could commit such a sickening crime - especially to a child - is even capable of reforming or being rehabilitated.

Trinity’s parents Damian Bates and Amanda Clarke.

“They say time heals all wounds, well it’s been 15 years and these wounds are far from healed and just as raw as the day it happened, we will be dealing with this for the rest of our lives.”

In between moments of happiness, Mr Bates and Mrs Clarke are irrevocably damaged by Trinity’s death.

Trinity Bates who was found dead in Bundaberg on February 22. Photo: Submitted

“Little things like taking family photos feel wrong, it’s not our whole family, not our true family,” Mrs Clarke said.

“Being introduced to people for the first time and they ask how many children you have and having to say two because you can’t bring yourself to tell the story.”

Mr Bates said they were so traumatised they couldn’t allow their other two daughters to sleep with their doors closed for many years.

“It’s taken years for us to have people back around home again, we’d never have kids stay over,” Mr Bates said.

“We haven’t told the kids how Trin died and as far as I know they are unaware of what happened, it’s really not a conversation I am ready to have, how do you explain your children that their sister was taken from her bedroom in the middle of the night and murdered by someone you knew and trusted and had known for most of their lives?”

Family and friends release balloons at the funeral of Trinity Bates.

Trinity would be 24 years old this year. She should have been travelling, making new friends, going to university, starting her career, or even falling in love.

As her family watches her childhood friends tick off these life milestones, they can’t help but wonder what kind of woman their Trin would have been.

“There are so many times I have imagined what Trin would be like today, but in all of those different futures I pictured her happy and laughing with her whole life ahead of her,” Mrs Clarke said.

Premier David Crisafulli said “animals” like Slater should never be released from prison.

“My view is that individual should never be released from jail and never being released from jail would even be too soon,” he said.

“In my book, those people don’t belong in our society, and I would sincerely hope that the parole board looks at that and I’ll allow them to make their decision.

“Our society is a hell of a lot better with animals like that behind jail after.”

Asked if the government held any powers to overturn a parole board decision, Mr Crisafullli said “it’s not at that point yet”.

“We want to see the parole board functioning well again,” he said.

“You know that there’s been some rocky road in that space, so we want to see the parole board functioning well.

“I can only imagine what the prospect of him being outside does to that family and I think that individual should never be released from jail. Never would be too soon.”

Originally published as Trinity Bates murder: Parents of Bundaberg girl, 8, speak out as killer becomes eligible for parole