A man who sexually assaulted and murdered a Tumut toddler has been allowed to leave prison on a temporary day leave basis and could soon be freed on parole.
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Douglas James Wade will face the latest in a string of attempts at parole via a public hearing at Sydney West Trial Courts on Tuesday.
The NSW State Parole Authority will begin hearing all applications for parole from 9.30am.
Wade, now aged 55, sexually assaulted and murdered a 22-month-old girl he was babysitting in Tumut in 1988.
An autopsy found the child suffered multiple injuries.
Wade, who worked as a shearer at the time, pleaded not guilty to murder at trial but was convicted and given a life sentence in 1989, later reduced to a minimum of 26 years on appeal in 2013.
A Corrective Services NSW spokeswoman said Wade “has been approved for day leave with the restriction that he wears an electronic monitoring bracelet”.
“The offender, aged 55, has spent 30 years in prison. He was sentenced in 1988 to a maximum 36 years in custody with a non-parole period of 26 years and was first eligible for parole in August 2014,” she said.
“His sentence expires in August 2024. If released to parole, the offender will be subject to strict conditions and supervision.”
NSW Corrections Minister David Elliott said he would move to block Wade from being released if he was granted parole.
“The State Parole Authority considers a range of factors when determining whether an offender should be released to parole,” he said.
“Community safety (is) at the forefront of that decision making.
“The Corrective Services NSW Commissioner will be opposing parole for this offender.
“If the offender is granted parole, I will seek urgent legal advice to determine if the decision can be challenged in the Supreme Court.”
Wade has claimed he "only" gave the girl one backhand blow to her stomach and has denied sexually assaulting his victim.
The Serious Offenders Review Council has recommended four times that Wade’s parole applications be denied.
A man claiming to be the partner of the murder victim’s mother told Radio 2GB that Tumut residents were on edge at the possibility that Wade could be granted parole.
“It’s been a very stressful weekend,” he said.