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AAP
AAP
National
Bray Boland

Teen's killer to be released despite past parole attack

A convicted killer has been granted parole for a second time after attempting to rape a woman. (Keri Megelus/AAP PHOTOS)

A convicted killer who tried to rape a woman in public while on parole for the murder will be released again under tight supervision.

Terrence John Leary was sentenced to 24 years in prison for the 1990 murder of 17-year-old Vanessa Hoson but he was granted parole after serving 22 years.

Ten months after being released, he violently assaulted a woman who he dragged behind a bus stop in an attempted rape.

After serving 11 years for that brazen 2013 attack, he will walk out of prison again after a decision on Thursday by the NSW State Parole Authority. 

The authority granted him release with the highest level of supervision after concluding it was "inevitable" that he would eventually re-enter the community, potentially without supervision, if his full sentence had ended.

Authority chair Geoffrey Bellew found this the safest pathway for Leary's reintegration.

"The alternative is to keep the offender in custody and release him at some later point in time either with a shorter period of parole supervision or at the end of his sentence with no period of supervised parole at all," he said.

"The offender will be released at some point. That is inevitable." 

Leary is classed as a serious sex offender and will be subject to electronic monitoring while he resides in a Corrective Services NSW-supported facility as part of his parole conditions. 

Alongside a curfew and other terms, Leary's mental health will also be monitored. 

He will be released on parole at his first attempt after September 18 despite Community Corrections opposing the release.

Leary was denied parole six times over the 1990 murder before he was finally released.

The family of his murder victim has fought to keep the now-57-year-old locked up for fear he would strike again if released.

Leary bludgeoned 17-year-old Vanessa to death with a hammer after she refused to have sex with him when he broke into her home.

When he was on parole for her murder, he grabbed a 30-year-old woman walking alone by the throat and dragged her behind a Sydney bus stop. 

He then violently assaulted the woman, punching her in the face and stabbing her neck as he tried to rape her.

Police arrived to find the woman screaming in distress before Leary attacked the officers, who tasered and arrested him.

Leary's current parole order will extend to June 28, 2028, unless revoked.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028

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