Attorney-general requests review into decision to release Snowtown killer James Vlassakis on parole
The South Australian attorney-general has lodged an appeal to review the decision to release Snowtown killer James Vlassakis on parole.
The Parole Board granted Vlassakis parole in August after he served 26 years of his life sentence for his role in the "bodies in the barrels" serial killings in the 1990s.
At the time, Parole Board chair Frances Nelson said Vlassakis appeared "genuinely remorseful".
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James Vlassakis arrives at the Adelaide Magistrates Court. Peter Mathew
The families of his victims opposed the move, saying he did not deserve to be released.
Attorney-General Kyam Maher has now lodged an appeal to review the approved parole, Parole Administrative Review Commissioner Michael David has confirmed.
The attorney-general's office said it was unable to comment on the matter.
"There are strict confidentiality provisions governing reviews by the Parole Administrative Review Commissioner and under the Act, only the Commissioner or a Court can authorise disclosure of information," a spokesperson said.
The matter will be heard by the commissioner, and a directions hearing will be held in the coming days to outline the next steps.
Vlassakis, the youngest of the three killers, was 19 when he was jailed for helping kill four of 11 people between 1992 and 1999.
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The Snowtown murders are considered one of the state's worst killings. 9News
His stepfather, John Bunting, was the ringleader who convinced Vlassakis and Robert Wagner to help him.
Bunting and Wagner remain behind bars.
Mark Haydon, an accomplice who helped dispose of the bodies, was released into the community last year after serving 25 years in prison.
The series of murders came to light when police discovered bodies decaying in barrels in an unused bank vault in Snowtown, about 150 kilometres north of Adelaide.
Police found and linked another four bodies to the killers.
However, there were only murder convictions for three of them.
The Snowtown murders are considered one of the state's worst killings.
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