The Supreme Court of South Australia will be asked to place temporary conditions on Snowtown accomplice Mark Haydon before his jail term ends in a few weeks.
If granted, the request will allow the government to monitor Haydon and restrict what he can and cannot do when he is released into the community.
The ABC revealed in January that there are no powers to keep the 65-year-old behind bars when his head sentence ends on May 20.
Haydon is one of four men who were jailed over the Snowtown murders, also known as the “bodies-in-the-barrels” serial killings.
The 65-year-old was sentenced to 25 years in jail for assisting the murderers in covering up the crimes, which made national headlines in 1999 when eight bodies were found in six barrels in the old bank vault in the Mid North township of Snowtown.
The Supreme Court heard that a draft of the interim supervision order contained greater restrictions on Mark Haydon than what he is currently under while on parole.
“We have not had opportunity to get instructions from Mr Haydon and, indeed the draft orders are more onerous than the current parole conditions and so, there are considerable matters to be looked at in relation to that,” Haydon’s lawyer Sam Abbott KC said.
Mr Abbott said he hoped to negotiate an “agreed position” with Solicitor-General Mike Wait SC, who is representing the Attorney-General in court.
Mr Wait said a 30 minute hearing in the Supreme Court may be required if an agreement can’t be found.
Haydon was granted parole in February, but his release from jail and transfer to the Adelaide Pre-Release Centre was delayed until last month due to an automatic appeal provision.
At the time, Parole Board chair Frances Nelson expressed concern at the delay, saying it was important Haydon be under supervision “for a sufficient period of time” before his head sentence ends.
Since being moved to the pre-release centre in April, Haydon has been allowed supervised excursions out in the community.
He has also been learning how to complete basic tasks such as catching public transport, learning how to shop and how to access Centrelink.
The government has applied for a long-term supervision order, but he could be released before a decision is made.
The court will convene again in two weeks to consider the interim application, which is needed for authorities to be able to monitor him when he is released.
The matter will return to court on May 15.
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