Albion Park Rail triple killer Matthew De Gruchy will be refused parole and ordered to undergo more programs in prison before he gets another chance at release.
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His case was among those considered by the State Parole Authority at a private meeting on Tuesday, as his earliest opportunity for release approaches.
A spokeswoman for the authority (SPA) said De Gruchy had yet to meet some requirements for parole.
“SPA formed the intention to refuse parole on the grounds that the offender presents as an unacceptable risk to the community and had not participated in the required external leave programs,” she said.
“The need for a psychiatric report and confirmation of post release accommodation were also cited as reasons.”
Now aged 39, De Gruchy has flagged plans to live with his father in Tasmania once he leaves prison.
He was told of the outcome of Thursday’s meeting soon after the decision.
He, and any registered victims of his crimes, will be given the opportunity to make a submission regarding the result before a formal decision on parole is made.
De Gruchy was sentenced to a maximum 28 years in prison for the murders of his mother Jennifer (41) and his siblings Sarah and Adrian (aged 13 and 15), in their Albion Park Rail home on March 12, 1996.
The three were bludgeoned to death – Jennifer and Sarah in their beds and Adrian in the garage.
De Gruchy arrived at the Shearwater Boulevarde home the next morning to tearfully ‘discover’ the bodies. He maintained his innocence, however a jury thought otherwise.
Now an inmate of Junee Correctional Centre, De Gruchy has been permitted since June to leave prison for approved reasons including day release, education and work. He has a job working in the chill room at Junee Abattoir – without access to knives, according to Corrective Services.
His sentence will expire on June 21, 2024, however he becomes eligible for parole from next month.
The Tasmanian government has taken an interest in De Gruchy’s plans. “This is very concerning,” a government spokesman said.
“The government is continuing to seek more information about the matter.
“The decision regarding the application for parole is a matter for the NSW Parole Board.”
Update, 11.45am, May 26: The State Parole Authority will next meet to consider De Gruchy’s release on April 26, 2018.