Queensland Might Ban Child Killers And Worst Murderers From Ever Getting Parole

A law is being drafted up in Queensland that could prevent the state's worst murderers and child killers from ever getting parole.

Under the proposed legislation, inmates serving life sentences with a 20-year non-parole period could be subject to rolling 10-year bans on parole.

The president of the Parole Board would be able to continue this decade-long stint at will, essentially meaning the worst criminals could stay in jail forever, according to 9News.

The changes have been raised by the parents of Daniel Morcombe, a child who was savagely killed by Brett Peter Cowan in 2003. They have questioned why a life sentence doesn't mean life behind bars.

"Life should mean life. Effectively, this legislation does," Daniel's dad Bruce said.

The state government needs to finalise the wording of the legislation before it goes through the mandatory approval process and gets ratified into law.

But MPs and the Premier are confident it will get the thumbs up.

Police and Corrective Services Minister Mark Ryan told the Courier Mail: "Understandably, whenever a prisoner applies for parole, this can re-traumatise the families, friends and the community.

"These new laws are aimed at shielding those who have lost loved ones from unnecessary pain and suffering.

"To be clear, the government is introducing these changes because it is committed to ensuring the safety of every member of the community and to protecting the families, friends and the broader community from unnecessary trauma.

"No other jurisdiction in Australia has the power to declare no parole consideration for a period of up to ten years, and with the potential of further periods of up to ten years. And no other jurisdiction targets both child killers serving a life sentence and multiple murderers serving a life sentence in this way.

"These proposed laws will be the strongest in the nation to support community safety."

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk added: "These changes are about keeping the worst of the worst behind bars for longer."

The legislation has also been bolstered by a massive online petition that called for one of the state's worst criminals to not receive parole.

Nearly 72,000 people signed the campaign to keep Barrie Watts in jail for the rape, torture and murder of 12-year-old schoolgirl Sian Kingi. He recently launched a parole application 34 years after his initial arrest, which caused heartache and pain for Sian's family and loved ones.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

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