Overview
- The South Australian Court of Appeal revoked a 25-year suppression order on Tuesday, permitting media to publish images and descriptions of James Vlassakis for the first time.
- Vlassakis was handed life with a 26-year non-parole term after pleading guilty to four Snowtown murders and giving evidence against co-accused John Bunting and Robert Wagner.
- The Parole Board approved Vlassakis’s release in August 2025 but Attorney-General Kyam Maher sought a review and Parole Administrative Review Commissioner Michael David KC later overturned that approval on public-safety grounds.
- The Parole Board has launched a judicial review of the commissioner’s decision and the Court of Appeal has reserved its judgment, so whether Vlassakis will be released remains unresolved and could be decided in the coming months.
- The case raises public-safety and victims’ rights questions, increases media access to a high-profile offender, and could set a legal precedent about parole for those involved in serial killings while police and victims assess the practical risks of any release.