Fugitive fears: Escaped parolee still on the run
FIRST ON 7: The Premier has blasted parole authorities after 7News revealed the escape of a criminal, who cut off his satellite tracking device.
The man's mother fears he is on his way to Perth to kill two policemen who he blames for his brother's death.
The ease of Jason Robert Herbert's escape from a halfway house near Newcastle was humiliating enough, but now the Premier wants to know why he's not still in jail.
"How the hell was this bloke on parole, having broken parole earlier, and being described today by authorities as a dangerous prisoner?" Barry O’Farrell said.
Herbert is dangerous, because he's made death threats against the Perth police officers involved in a pursuit that killed his brother, Troy.
"I know my son. I know how he thinks. He's on his way," mother Ruth Herbert said.
Ruth Herbert will grieve the third anniversary of Troy's death on Thursday, and she's scared for her other son.
"If he's cornered, it might be shoot first, ask questions later," Ruth said.
"Please Jason, don't do anything stupid. Please."
A reported sighting of Herbert at Ceduna in South Australia is one of dozens of leads police are following up, as authorities in New South Wales struggle to explain how he could simply cut off his satellite tracker with a blunt knife, then flee.
"Yes, I have concerns about the ease, the apparent ease with which it was removed."
The escape doesn't exactly instill confidence in victims of nearly 400 parolees currently being monitored.
We contacted three this morning one, a woman who had been stabbed 27 times, another whose throat was cut, and a third imprisoned at knifepoint.
They're too scared to appear on camera, even anonymously and they're horrified.
"When you see three victims terrified, you know that there is no confidence in the administration of justice," victims of crime advocate Howard Brown said.
An upgrade of the satellite trackers is being considered, as police offer the convicted armed robber the chance to visit his brother's gravesite, but only if he turns himself in.
