Anastasia Marshall has been sentenced to one year and 11 months in prison after admitting she helped her secret lover, Jonathan Parker, cover up the death of Krystal Marshall. Krystal's charred body was found inside her Aldinga Beach home in October 2023. The judge said Marshall lied to protect Parker instead of going to police. Marshall will be eligible to apply for parole in May next year. Parker has denied murdering Krystal but admitted setting her body on fire, and a verdict in his murder trial is yet to be delivered.
Orange State MP Phil Donato has pushed a bill that would impose mandatory life sentences without parole on adult domestic violence killers who were under an apprehended violence order or bail condition protecting their victim. The Crimes Amendment (Mandatory Life Sentences) Bill 2026 proposes amending the Crimes Act 1900. Donato's push followed concerns over the sentence given to Daniel Billings, who was jailed for 28 years, with parole possible after 20, for murdering Molly Ticehurst in Forbes in 2024.
A man has been sentenced to an aggregate 14 months in jail, with an eight-month non-parole period, by Hay Local Court. Zac Kade Fitzpatrick was found guilty of seven domestic violence-related charges, including intimidation, property damage and being armed with intent. The court heard the charges arose from a 3am incident involving a knife, a damaged vehicle tyre and threats toward Ashlee Morris and her family. Magistrate Clisdell rejected defence arguments, although Fitzpatrick had pleaded not guilty. The court ordered his release on parole in December under supervision, and imposed a two-year Apprehended Violence Order.
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A correctional officer assessed Kerrie Struhs as posing no immediate risk to others three weeks before she and others caused her eight-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, to die, a Brisbane inquest has heard. The officer had no access to Kerrie's offending history. Kerrie was jailed for child neglect after failing to take Elizabeth to hospital for type 1 diabetes in 2019. Elizabeth died 22 days after Kerrie's parole release, from diabetic ketoacidosis, after her father stopped providing insulin at their Toowoomba home. Kerrie, Jason and 12 other adults were convicted of manslaughter last year. The inquest continues.
Convicted killer Susan Neill-Fraser has spoken in depth for the first time since a media gag order was lifted, saying her fight to clear her name is far from over. Released on parole in 2022 after serving 13 years for the 2009 killing of partner Bob Chappell on their Hobart yacht, she maintains her innocence. Her appeals and a high court bid have failed. In a 60 Minutes interview, she said she had received death threats and described a wrongful conviction as an ongoing burden.
Convicted murderer Susan Neill-Fraser has spoken publicly for the first time since a parole condition barring her from discussing her case was lifted. She says she continues to fight to clear her name and believes her life may be at risk. Neill-Fraser was convicted in 2010 of murdering her partner, Bob Chappell, whose body has never been found. Two appeals and a High Court bid have failed. The Police Association of Tasmania has called for an end to the public campaign challenging the conviction, saying it remains intact.
Convicted Tasmanian woman Sue Neill-Fraser has told 60 Minutes she was wrongly convicted of murdering her long-term partner, Bob Chappell, who vanished from their yacht in 2009. His body has never been found. Neill-Fraser, 72, says she has never physically harmed anybody and is determined to clear her name. A 2010 jury found her guilty, and she served 13 years before her parole in 2022. Police allege she killed Chappell on the yacht and disposed of his body in the Derwent River. She says she left him alive and that the case against her makes no sense.
Three decades after a stranger set him alight at Cairns North State School in 1996, Jandamarra O'Shane is preparing to meet the man who attacked him. The six-year-old suffered burns to around 70 per cent of his body and was not expected to survive, but he recovered after months in hospital, supported by a national outpouring of goodwill. Paul Streeton, who had been carrying petrol and a lighter, was convicted of attempted murder in 1997 and remains in prison despite being eligible for parole.
Dennis John McKenna, convicted of sexually abusing 29 boys at a Katanning college hostel, will likely be released from prison on November 17. Prosecutor Brett Tooker told the WA Supreme Court that McKenna should be declared a high-risk serious offender for up to four years after release. McKenna's lawyer, Joel Grinceri, said his client welcomed the proposed orders, including ankle monitoring. Kaye Anderson, whose two sons were abused by McKenna and have since died, said he should remain behind bars for life. Justice Marcus Solomon will hand down his decision on November 4.
A new abuse complaint against Dennis McKenna is under consideration by the State Solicitor's Office, weeks before a decision on his release from prison. McKenna abused students at St Andrew's Hostel in Katanning during the 1970s and 1980s, while serving as its warden. Attorney-General Tony Buti said the allegation had been passed on and urged anyone with allegations to go to police. Justice Marcus Solomon will decide whether McKenna should be declared a high-risk serious offender. Justice Solomon's decision is due in November, before McKenna's sentence expires.
A drug-affected driver who killed a mother of four in northern Victoria has been sentenced to eight years and two months in prison. Lance O'Brien, 31, pleaded guilty to culpable driving causing death and contravening bail conditions. His car veered into the lane of Vilia Sutherland on the Barmah-Shepparton Road at Kaarimba in October 2025, killing her at the scene. O'Brien will be eligible for parole in December 2031. He was also fined $1,200 and disqualified from driving for five years.
A man has been sentenced to 12 months' jail for breaking into a broadcast transmitter site in Eden, on the NSW Far South Coast, to siphon diesel from a backup generator. Alec Harvey, 32, pleaded guilty to three charges, including entering land with intent to commit an indictable offence and dealing with property proceeds of crime relating to 500 litres of diesel. Court documents show the offence took place in August, with CCTV recording Harvey and a passenger at the site. Judge Doug Dick described the offence as very concerning.
Convicted murderer Daniel Billings has lodged a notice of appeal against his sentence in the NSW Supreme Court. Billings was sentenced to a maximum of 28 years for killing Molly Ticehurst, 28, in her Forbes home. He must serve at least 20 years before he is eligible for parole. Premier Chris Minns called Billings a bastard and said he would have liked to see a longer sentence. Billings will be eligible for parole on April 19, 2044.
The nephew of a Snowtown murder victim has described seeing images of convicted serial killer James Vlassakis out in public as 'sickening'. Vlassakis, the youngest of the perpetrators, was jailed for life in 2001 for four murders. The Parole Board granted him parole last year, a decision upheld in a recent ruling. Vlassakis is currently at the Adelaide Pre-release Centre, where he will spend up to 12 months before potentially being released into the community under strict conditions.
James Vlassakis, a convicted Snowtown murderer, has begun his community transition after being granted parole. The 46-year-old was observed leaving and later returning to the Adelaide Pre-release Centre on Thursday. Vlassakis, the youngest of four involved in the infamous 'bodies in the barrels' killings, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2000. His parole, approved last year, includes strict conditions such as a curfew and movement restrictions. The South Australian government had unsuccessfully challenged the parole decision.
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James Vlassakis, the youngest killer involved in South Australia’s Snowtown murders, has been filmed outside an Adelaide pre-release facility. The 46-year-old was transferred to the centre after his parole was confirmed. Vlassakis was sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the murders of four people. He will be subject to strict conditions, including a curfew and geographical restrictions, when released into the community.
James Vlassakis, the youngest killer involved in South Australia’s Snowtown murders, has been filmed outside an Adelaide pre-release facility. The 46-year-old was transferred to the centre after his parole was confirmed. Vlassakis was sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the murders of four people. He will be subject to strict conditions, including a curfew and geographical restrictions, when released into the community.
