VICTORIA’S parole system and assessment procedures at Werribee Mercy Hospital are under the spotlight at an inquest into the murder of a Hoppers Crossing woman.
Jason Hawkins, 37, used a meat cleaver to slash the throat of his girlfriend, Margaret Burton, while he was on parole on June 26, 2009, days after being discharged from Werribee Mercy Hospital’s mental health ward.
Ms Burton staggered out of her Hoppers Crossing house clutching her throat as she tried to call triple-0 on a cordless phone, before bleeding to death on the nature strip.
Hawkins was arrested and charged with murdering Ms Burton, 40, but committed suicide while in custody and never stood trial.
Counsel assisting the inquiry, Simon McGregor, said Ms Burton had been in a relationship with Hawkins since working as his psychologist at a Castlemaine prison, where Hawkins served a sentence for armed robbery.
Shortly after he was released on parole the pair moved in together in Hoppers Crossing.
The inquest heard that at 3.30pm on June 26, 2009, Hawkins took a meat cleaver and killed Ms Burton with two fatal cuts to her neck.
Before being discharged from hospital one week earlier, Hawkins had told psychiatrists his relationship with Ms Burton was “not healthy” and expressed that he was uncomfortable about returning to the house.
Under cross-examination, psychia- trist Ashok Singh, of Werribee Mercy Hospital, revealed there had been concerns about Hawkins’ violent mood swings and tendency to carry weapons.
But he said patient assessments determined Hawkins, who had a type of adjustment disorder and was being treated for heroin addiction, presented no risk to himself or others.
Dr Singh confirmed Ms Burton’s murder was among several situations that had been peer-reviewed, prompting policy and procedural changes introducted in the ‘‘last couple of months.’’
‘FAILED’ BY THE SYSTEM
THE families of three other women killed by violent parolees will appear at this week’s inquest.
They say they want to keep the heat on the parole system’s “failures” that have come to light since the murder of Jill Meagher at the hands of convicted rapist Adrian Bayley.
Outside court on Monday, the mother of murdered Epping woman Rachael Betts said the system was failing too many families.
“We’ve reached a point … where we do need a separate system for serious offenders,” Sandra Betts said.
Stephen Hunter’s parole period finished nine days before he killed Sarah Cafferkey and dumped her body in a wheelie bin at Point Cook.
Her mother, Noelle Dickson, is angry the justice system released a convicted killer.
On Monday, Coroner Ian Gray ruled while Ms Dickson couldn’t appear at the inquest, there would be a separate inquest into Ms Cafferkey’s murder.
