By Yasemin Talat
The mother of Sarah Cafferkey has said a formal inquest into her daughter’s murder may finally give her the answers she needs.
Victoria’s state coroner will investigate the murder of Ms Cafferkey in an inquest that includes looking at the roles others played in helping Steven Hunter dispose of the young woman’s body.
Judge Ian Gray told the Coroners Court on Tuesday he would hold a formal inquest into Ms Cafferkey’s November 2012 death, saying the investigation will also examine whether Hunter should have been monitored more closely while on parole.
Ms Cafferkey’s mother, Noelle Dickson, said a lot still needed to be followed up after her daughter’s death and she hoped the inquest would provide her with the answers she needed.
She said she wanted all those involved to be held accountable for their actions so that she can move forward.
“For me it’s important because it’s unfinished business,” Ms Dickson said. “The important part is that all areas are held accountable for their actions – Victoria Police, Corrections Victoria, the parole board and the others involved. That’s what I need to be able to move forward.”
Ms Dickson said it was important for the whole community to have the parole system closely scrutinised.
“Anything to improve the justice system, to protect the community, is of utmost importance,” she said, adding she believed there was a lot of evidence that showed other people were involved.
Ms Dickson said police hadn’t followed up investigations into people who were questioned and she believed those people should be charged .
Hunter attacked and killed Ms Cafferkey, 22, with a hammer and knife in his Bacchus Marsh unit on November 10, 2012. Her body was discovered in a wheelie bin outside a Point Cook home seven days later.
Hunter was sentenced to life without parole in 2013. He had a long criminal history – including a stint in prison for the 1986 murder of colleague Jacqueline Matthews – and had completed a period of parole 11 days before he attacked Ms Cafferkey.
Previous court hearings have heard it was unclear whether Ms Cafferkey knew Hunter had been jailed for murder.
Judge Gray said the inquest would focus on both the police investigation into the disposal of the body and Hunter’s period of parole following completion of his jail term for assaulting a man and holding him hostage.
The inquest is scheduled for three days from July 29. Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
– with The Age
