Notorious Australian serial killer unmasked for first time as suppression order lifted
Updated . First published at
The face of the killer responsible for one of the most notorious criminal cases in Australian history has been revealed to the public for the first time since the murders decades ago.
Snowtown killer James Vlassakis has been behind bars for more than 26 years after pleading guilty to four of the 11 "bodies in the barrels" murders in Snowtown, South Australia, in 1999.
His image had been suppressed during his sentence until today, after 9News successfully appealed for a secrecy order to be lifted.
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Snowtown killer James Vlassakis. Nine
Victims' Rights commissioner Sarah Quick said victims have welcomed the development.
"Whilst it may be confronting to see his image after all these years, ultimately it will make them feel safer," Quick said.
Vlassakis dialled into a South Australian court via video link today, fighting for his release today after serving his 26-year non-parole period behind bars for his role in four of the notorious murders.
He had been handed the non-parole term for pleading guilty and helping convict fellow killers John Bunting and Robert Wagner.
The 46-year-old was jailed at 19 years old and granted parole in August last year.
However, the decision was overturned following a successful challenge by the South Australian attorney-general in December.
That is now being challenged by the parole board.
Vlassakis was the youngest of the three men jailed over the shocking Snowtown murders, which were carried out in the 1990s.
Police discovered eight dismembered bodies in barrels in an abandoned bank vault in 1999, with another two bodies uncovered in the backyard of fellow convicted killer Bunting's former home in Salisbury North, in Adelaide's northern outskirts.
Remains discovered in Lower Light were also linked to the case.
It was ruled that Vlassakis was coerced by Bunting to kill four victims, including his half-brother and step-brother.
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