South Australia is racing to slap an extended supervision order on the man who helped cover up some of the most gruesome killings in Australian criminal history, warning he still poses an “appreciable risk” to the community decades after his appalling crimes.
Mark Ray Haydon, an accomplice in the notorious Snowtown “bodies in the barrels” serial killings perpetrated by John Bunting, Robert Wagner and James Vlassakis in Adelaide in the 1990s is set to walk free into the community in May after serving out his 25-year sentence.
But the government has taken the now 65-year-old man to the South Australian Supreme Court, arguing he is “dysfunctional” and should not be let out into the community without court-ordered supervision.
New legislation signed off by the South Australian government in February will make it easier for authorities to define Haydon as a risk to the community and someone who warrants supervision.
The amendment, which has now come into effect, expands the definition of a high-risk offender to include people who cover up murders or sexual crimes.
Haydon appeared in court via videolink before Justice Tim Stanley on Wednesday, sporting a long-grey beard.
He was granted parole in February and he is currently staying at an Adelaide pre-release centre.
The Attorney-General’s application for the order states Haydon “poses an appreciable risk to the community if not supervised”.
“The respondent was willing to continue his assistance in relation to the murders committed by the principal offenders over a substantial period of time,” the document states.
“The respondent’s offending was attributed to some extent to his dysfunctional personality.
“(A psychologist) observed the respondent had never learned life skills to deal with stress, lacked social skills, and used ‘inappropriate or maladaptive strategies’ to cope with problems.”
The order asks for a supervision period of up to five years.
“As the respondent was assessed as being low risk of violent reoffending he has not participated in any criminogenic treatment programs in custody,” the application states.
“His personality disorder remains an ongoing vulnerability for him upon his release into the community.
“Since the time of the committing the course of offending the respondent has not demonstrated rehabilitation in a community setting.
“In response to the respondent’s first application for parole in 2017, the parole board expressed concern that the respondent was highly institutionalised and would struggle with stressful situations if released with insufficient supports.”
Haydon was sentenced to 25 years in prison at the South Australian Supreme Court in 2006 for his role in the shocking murders, which often involved torture.
The sentence commenced on May 21, 1999 and his jail term ends on May 20 this year.
The media had applied for a sketch artist to draw Haydon from the court, but Justice Stanley denied the request after Haydon’s defence counsel argued any publication of his image would interfere with his rehabilitation back into the community.
Justice Stanley adjourned the decision to wait for more reports on Haydon.
Haydon is due back in court in April.