FRIENDS of murdered Wagga woman Sally Ann Jones have welcomed the State Parole Authority's intention to refuse parole to her murderer.
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Kenneth Barry Cannon, 59, was convicted and sentenced in 1991 to seven years' jail for raping and murdering 18-year-old Miss Jones in 1987.
She was brutally stabbed and thrown in the Murrumbidgee River on Easter Sunday. Cannon was later given another sentence for the knife-point rape of a 16-year-old girl in 1990.
In 2015, his sentence, which was to expire in June 2016, was increased for the 1986 rape of a 15-year-old girl.
His sentence expires in December 2022 and the State Parole Authority today formed an intention to refuse parole to Cannon.
"The Serious Offenders Review Council, which manages serious offenders, advised the authority it was not appropriate to release Cannon to parole," a parole authority spokesperson said.
He was previously denied parole in 2018.
Julie Dolton, who was with Miss Jones just hours before the murder, said she was "gutted that he will even be considered for parole".
"We don't want him in society. They should adhere to the recommendation because he's not deemed fit," Ms Dolton said.
"I hope the bastard never sees the light of day again."
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Long-term resident Terry Ahern, whose daughter was a friend of Miss Jones, said Cannon should never be released.
"Sally Jones is gone forever. Why should he get a second chance?" Mr Ahern said.
"I don't think he should ever be released for what he did. He put that poor girl through hell."
Mr Ahern said he often thought about Miss Jones and described her as "an outgoing kid". "She was a friendly young girl, a typical teenager," he said.
The 73-year-old said the murder sent shockwaves through the city.
"Everyone was concerned because these things don't happen often, especially in country towns," Mr Ahern said.
Victims advocate Howard Brown said if the authority intends to refuse Cannon parole, then it "is perfectly clear he has continued to not attempt to change".
"Any decision by the authority must be such that it would instil confidence in the administration of justice," Mr Brown said.
"So they are bound by that principle."
Mr Brown said that if Cannon has been unwilling to undertake rehabilitation, then "the only appropriate way is to detain him".
"It's a view I agree with. The difficulty the authority faces is his inability to deal with his offending behaviour," he said.
Cannon remains in protective custody.
