Parole Board errors see murderer released into community and sent to jail repeatedly

A convicted murderer who has been released and then thrown back in prison several times after repeatedly having his parole revoked by the board will have his matter reconsidered after a judge intervened.

Trevor Lewis Burridge, a prisoner at the Borallon Training and Correctional Centre, is serving a life sentence for a murder he committed in 1993.

Burridge has applied for a judicial review of his matter, citing the Board’s failure to make a decision regarding his parole within the time required.

Burridge, who was 21 at the time, and three others were charged for murdering Darryl Murray.

During a 14-day trial in 1995, it was revealed Mr Murray had been struck twice to the head by Burridge, who used an axe during the attack, and the man died in “horrific circumstances”.

Court documents state the bashing was because Burridge believed Mr Murray had given information to police.

Burridge became eligible for parole in December 2006 after serving 13 years in prison.

The parole board made his first order in May 2011, and he was released the following month at age 39.

He was returned to custody in 2013 when the order was suspended.

Court documents say this first parole order does not appear to have been before the board when the decision was made.

In October 2013, after three months in custody, he was released on the same parole order, when the suspension ended.

But two years later, the Corrective Services chief executive suspended Burridge’s first parole order, and he was returned to custody, aged 43.

The board then cancelled the first parole order.

The order was cancelled due to Burridge being convicted of seven charges, including trespass, going armed so as to cause fear, and possessing property suspected of having been used in connection with a drug offence in the Sandgate Magistrates Court.

He was sent back to prison and in 2019, a second parole order was made by the board and Burridge was granted release in August that year.

By January 2020, Burridge was returned to custody and the board cancelled the second parole order in August last year. This was cancelled due to another offence and Burridge was sentenced to nine months imprisonment.

Burridge applied for the Brisbane Supreme Court to review the parole board’s decision. Credit:Robert Shakespeare

Burridge made another application for parole at the end of last year.

In April this year, he filed for a judicial review citing the board’s failure to make a decision within the time required.

A hearing was scheduled and Burridge was later informed by someone in a letter (that court documents describe as “littered with inaccuracies”), on behalf of the board saying it had formed a preliminary view his application should be declined.

Burridge responded pointing out the inaccuracies, but in June this year the board said there was no new information, despite the fact it had received several reports from his psychologist and other relapse plans, and subsequently he would not be eligible for parole.

In total, Burridge was in the community on parole for more than four years before he offended, and held employment as a landscaper for about 11 months.

The board previously characterised his record over the four years as a “poor” response.

Justice Thomas Bradley said the board’s decision to refuse Burridge’s parole application was not made according to law, and ordered the decision to be set aside.

He said the errors made by the board affected its consideration of the relevant factors for the risk assessment of Burridge’s release.

He said at one stage, the board “failed to consider the facts particular to the criminal history of Mr Burridge and instead adopted some standard forms of words, or worse, language from a statement of reasons for another applicant for parole”.

Burridge’s matter will be reconsidered by the board.

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