Arabic version: ابن شقيق ضحية يتفاعل مع الإفراج المشروط عن فلاسّاكيس

According to ABC News, Ron Lane, the nephew of Snowtown murders victim Barry Lane, said images of convicted serial killer James Spyridon Vlassakis leaving the Adelaide Pre-release Centre were “sickening” and brought back painful memories.

Vlassakis was granted parole last month after the Parole Administrative Review Commissioner upheld a decision that the state government had sought to block. He was jailed for life in 2001, with a 26-year non-parole period backdated to his 1999 arrest.

Lane said seeing Vlassakis in public created fears that he could encounter him in Adelaide. “Seeing the photo for the very first time of him now is a shock to the system and gives flashbacks on why he was in [prison],” he said. Lane was about seven when he last saw his uncle, who was killed by John Bunting and Robert Wagner in October 1997.

Vlassakis pleaded guilty to the murders of Fred Brooks, Gary O’Dwyer, David Johnson and his half-brother Troy Youde. His testimony helped authorities convict Bunting and Wagner, who were jailed for 11 and 10 murders respectively, as well as accomplice Mark Ray Haydon.

Vlassakis will spend up to 12 months at the pre-release centre as the Parole Board monitors his progress and determines conditions for his release into the community. Parole Board chair Frances Nelson KC previously said standard conditions would include a curfew, restricted movements, and drug and alcohol testing. A government spokesperson said he would be subject to strict conditions for the rest of his life, and any breach could lead to a return to custody.