Bob Chappell’s son reveals heartache as Parole Board publishes reasons behind Sue Neill-Fraser’s freedom

The Parole Board of Tasmania has revealed why it decided to free convicted murderer, Sue Neill-Fraser. But it also provides a rare insight into the pain of murdered man Bob Chappell’s family.

THE son of murdered man Bob Chappell says he will “still miss him in many ways” and is “often saddened that my own children were too young to remember him”.

The rare insights from Tim Chappell were revealed on Thursday as the Parole Board of Tasmania published its reasons for granting freedom to convicted murderer, Sue Neill-Fraser.

Neill-Fraser, 68, was released from the Mary Hutchinson Women’s Prison on October 4 this year, after serving 13 years for the murder of her partner, 65-year-old radiation physicist Bob Chappell, in Sandy Bay on Australia Day 2009.

Mr Chappell’s body has never been found, but Neill-Fraser was sentenced on the basis she killed him aboard their yacht, the Four Winds, and cast his body overboard into the River Derwent.

Bob Chappell sailing the Four Winds in January 2009, just before his death.

The Parole Board of Tasmania said Mr Chappell’s death was a “devastating blow” for his children and a significant loss to his extended family, friends and colleagues.

“The burden of their grief has however been made more onerous by the ongoing media interest on his death and focus on (Neill-Fraser),” the board said.

Tim Chappell provided a written statement for the board while it was assessing Neill-Fraser for parole.

He said while missing his father and sad his children were too young to remember him, Tim Chappell also said he recognised that Neill-Fraser “does not pose any risk of significance” by being released back into the Tasmanian community.

The board noted the murder had captured public attention for several reasons – including the fact Mr Chappell’s remains had not been found and because of Neill-Fraser “consistently and voraciously” protesting her innocence over the years.

Sue Neill-Fraser arrives at Launceston Supreme Court. Picture: BRUCE MOUNSTER

It also noted Neill-Fraser did not present like a stereotypical killer.

“She presents as a well-spoken and educated lady of mature years and somewhat inconsistently with the common perception of a person who can, in a premeditated and calculated fashion, kill another,” the board said.

“She is, regardless of her denial of guilt, appearance and manner, a convicted murderer, and the assessment of her suitability for parole has been made on that basis.”

The board Neill-Fraser had no remorse for her crime and had not helped authorities – or Mr Chappell’s family – in locating his body.

It said she had no relevant criminal history and had engaged positively with her fellow inmates and the authorities during her stint behind bars, being held in minimum security and being “productive in the prison gardens”.

The board said she had breached prison regulations twice – once in November 2017 when she was found with unauthorised items like “foodstuffs and makeup”, and again in September last year when she breached prison security by releasing information processes to a blogger for publication.

“Otherwise, she has presented as a compliant, engaged and polite inmate,” it said.

The board said Neill-Fraser’s crime was a “grave” one, with the taking of a life “repugnant to the standards by which we as a modern society live our lives” – but said it was likely she would “comply with society’s rules and expectations” out of prison.

Neill-Fraser will serve the rest of her head sentence, until August 2032, on parole with electronic monitoring.

She must also stick by a mental health plan and not contact a “named person” directly or indirectly.

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