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JUNE 28 2013 ISSUE 1109
PROUDLY INDEPENDENT CIRCULATION: 59,069
THE HEARTBEAT OF PENRITH
This little girl was brutally murdered at Emu Plains in 1989. Now the man who killed her may walk among us again as soon as next year...
System failure T
CASSANDRA O'CONNOR
his is the angelic face of Lauren Hickson, the four-year-old girl caught up in the biggest murder case in Penrith’s history. On May 17, 1989 Lauren was brutally murdered by Neville Raymond Towner after he took her to the Nepean River at Emu Plains, attempted to rape her, bashed her head with a river stone and then drowned her in an estuary. Lauren’s mother Jurina feels that the justice system has failed society, with Mr Towner now eligible for parole. Her doubts have been heightened by the recent pressure facing the justice system following the conviction of repeat rapist, Adrian Bayley for murdering journalist Jill Meagher in Melbourne last year, and the attack on a woman at Hunters Hill last week by previously convicted murderer Terrence John Leary. “The system does not work, it is broken and favours the offenders and disregards the victims,” Mrs Hickson told the Weekender. “Lauren would have had a family by now and I may have had grandchildren, but she was robbed of her life in an horrific murder by Towner.” Mr Towner was originally sentenced to life imprisonment but later appealed and was granted eligibility for parole in 2009. “I have received a letter from correctional services saying that he will not be released this year, but he could still be released next year. We go through the same thing over and over,” Mrs Hickson said. “The thought of him being let out is frightening.” The State Parole Authority said that Mr Towner has been refused parole five times since May 2009, the most recent being in April 2013. His case will be considered again in March 2014. But for Mrs Hickson, that only adds to the pain she has carried for the last 24 years. And a Western Weekender investigation has revealed that there are others convicted of murder and manslaughter who could be released on parole in addition to Mr Towner. Story Continues Page Six
LABOR PAINS The Julia and Kevin show is fi nally over after the last chapter in their three year leadership battle played out on Wednesday night. In an extraordinary political day in the nation’s history, Julia Gillard called for a leadership ballot in an attempt to settle the issue for good. Kevin Rudd, who said just months ago he would never again challenge for the Labor leadership, accepted the invitation to fight for the top job.
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SHOCK SHOOTING Frightening incident in South Penrith PAGE 13
AUSSIE HONOURS Teen is ready to take on the Kiwis Lauren Hickson was murdered at Emu Plains in 1989.
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