UPDATE: One Of The Snowtown Murderers Is A Free Man

But 2024 is here, and Hayden's parole date is upon us.

Tell us about what's happening now, because he's back in the news.

He is, and that's because in a few weeks' time, in May of 2024, his maximum term expires.

So forget about his non-parole period, his maximum term expires.

And as I think most people understand, when you've finished your maximum term, you are released, and there can be no restriction placed on you and no monitoring placed on you.

What could've happened is he could've been given parole some time ago, and that didn't occur, and so only recently has the parole board decided that it's a good idea to give Mark Hayden parole But really in the context of having some facility with which to monitor him by way of parole conditions before that sentence expires.

The community expectation is different.

The community, this feels like yesterday.

Mm.

South Australians, and they're, I think it's fair to say, very uncomfortable with the prospect of him being released at all in any way, but in particular, with absolute freedom.

And so the state government has launched a legal bid to have him declared a serious offender and therefore be able, under the law, to be monitored beyond his maximum prison term.

So he's getting out.

He's already started to be given day release now as we speak, and he's getting out.

It's just a question now of how he'll be monitored and where he can and can't go and what he can and can't do post-May 2024.

And only yesterday it came to light that the parole process had reached to the point where he is already able to go out during the day.

That's happening now under supervision, and only has to go back to a corrections pre-release center at night.

And don't forget, James Lasacos, who was convicted of several murders, was given a non-parole period of 26 years, and so the community will have that to grapple with in the not too distant future.

You mentioned that through that parole process we've found out that there's no remorse when it comes to Bunting or Wagner.

What about the other two? Because obviously we've got Hayden getting out this year.

We're potentially gonna be having this same conversation in 2025 with Lasacos.

What can we expect from them? Is there any signs of rehabilitation?

I think what we have to do as a community is accept what we're being told by the authorities who are assessing these people, and the parole board is clear in its view that Mark Hayden has shown considerable remorse and understanding of what he did, and has done nothing wrong in all his time in prison, and has done everything right in terms of rehabilitation and his time in prison.

Their only concern about him is whether he can make a meaningful transition back into society because he literally doesn't know how to function in it, and frankly, he didn't function in it particularly well before he got caught up in all of this.

This is 25 years later and a lot's changed.

And so the answer in relation to Mark Hayden is yes, he's remorseful, and yes, he has served his time, and yes, he's rehabilitated.

But 2024 is here, and Hayden's parole date is upon us.

Tell us about what's happening now, because he's back in the news.

He is, and that's because in a few weeks' time, in May of 2024, his maximum term expires.

So forget about his non-parole period, his maximum term expires.

And as I think most people understand, when you've finished your maximum term, you are released, and there can be no restriction placed on you and no monitoring placed on you.

What could've happened is he could've been given parole some time ago, and that didn't occur, and so only recently has the parole board decided that it's a good idea to give Mark Hayden parole But really in the context of having some facility with which to monitor him by way of parole conditions before that sentence expires.

The community expectation is different.

The community, this feels like yesterday.

Mm.

South Australians, and they're, I think it's fair to say, very uncomfortable with the prospect of him being released at all in any way, but in particular, with absolute freedom.

And so the state government has launched a legal bid to have him declared a serious offender and therefore be able, under the law, to be monitored beyond his maximum prison term.

So he's getting out.

He's already started to be given day release now as we speak, and he's getting out.

It's just a question now of how he'll be monitored and where he can and can't go and what he can and can't do post-May 2024.

And only yesterday it came to light that the parole process had reached to the point where he is already able to go out during the day.

That's happening now under supervision, and only has to go back to a corrections pre-release center at night.

And don't forget, James Lasacos, who was convicted of several murders, was given a non-parole period of 26 years, and so the community will have that to grapple with in the not too distant future.

You mentioned that through that parole process we've found out that there's no remorse when it comes to Bunting or Wagner.

What about the other two? Because obviously we've got Hayden getting out this year.

We're potentially gonna be having this same conversation in 2025 with Lasacos.

What can we expect from them? Is there any signs of rehabilitation?

I think what we have to do as a community is accept what we're being told by the authorities who are assessing these people, and the parole board is clear in its view that Mark Hayden has shown considerable remorse and understanding of what he did, and has done nothing wrong in all his time in prison, and has done everything right in terms of rehabilitation and his time in prison.

Their only concern about him is whether he can make a meaningful transition back into society because he literally doesn't know how to function in it, and frankly, he didn't function in it particularly well before he got caught up in all of this.

This is 25 years later and a lot's changed.

And so the answer in relation to Mark Hayden is yes, he's remorseful, and yes, he has served his time, and yes, he's rehabilitated.