Convicted murderer Alister Thompson could soon be set free after 24 years behind bars

One of South Australia’s most notorious killers could soon walk free from prison.

Convicted murderer Alister Thompson became eligible for parole 14 years ago.

He has now been granted parole, pending the lengthy appeal process under new laws, the Adelaide Advertiser reports.

Thompson strangled 18-year-old university student Allison Nitscke in North Adelaide in 1991 and dumped her body in the Adelaide Hills.

His potential release reignites debate about whether or not a life sentence should actually mean life behind bars.

The Advertiser claims the move by the parole board comes after lawyers acting for 46-year-old Thompson launched Supreme Court action to force it to consider his application for permanent release from prison.

In a legal rarity, Thompson last month applied for a judicial review of his stalled parole application, accusing the parole board of being “legally unreasonable” for not considering him for release “within reasonable time”.

Thompson, who became eligible for parole in August 2003, has been housed at the low-security Adelaide Pre-Release Centre since late 2012, and has been employed for most of that time and moving unsupervised within the community.