The 1991 cold case murder of Yasmin Sinodinos has taken a new turn after the Adelaide Magistrates Court released the man accused on bail.
43-year-old Timo Pasanen is now on bail and ordered to report three times a week to police and surrender his passport, to the disappointment of the late woman’s children.
Outside court, Ms Sinodinos’ son, Phillip Stevens, expressed disappointment with the decision.
“It’s a joke,” he said, “how do you think you would feel if your mum got murdered?”
Earlier, Ms Sinodinos’ children told of their grief and wish for anyone found guilty of their mother’s murder to be jailed for life.
Police last week made a breakthrough in the murder case of Ms Sinodinos, whose body was discovered in December 1991 on the side of a fire track at Anstey Hill.
Detectives arrested Mr Pasanen and charged him over her murder after his DNA was allegedly matched to some collected from Ms Sinodinos’ body 21 years ago.
This morning, her children Stacey Sinodinos and Mr Stevens issued a statement detailing the pain they have endured for the past 21 years.
“There are no words that can describe the hurt and anguish we have had to endure over the last 21 years from what has been taken from us,” they said.
“We have been robbed of a mother, a daughter, sister and a grandmother. We have had our family life ripped out from under us while the person responsible for this crime has walked free.”
Ms Sinodinos and Mr Stevens said they wanted justice in the form of a life sentence for anyone found guilty of the murder.
“All we want is justice and for (any) person found guilty of this crime to be put away for life as we are already doing a life sentence without our mother,” they said.
“We would like to thank everyone who has worked on our mum’s case and for never giving up and for everyone else’s support through this hard time – at least now we hope to have some sort of closure.
“Our family would appreciate some privacy while we try to come to terms with what’s just unfolded.”
Unlike most bail hearings, prosecutors did not outline any details of the allegations against Pasanen, nor of the two-decade-old alleged murder, in court. They said that, because after discussions with defence counsel, they did not object to Pasanen’s release. That submission appeared to catch Ms Sinodinos’ children off guard.
Her children cried and swore audibly in the court room, as Chief Magistrate Liz Bolton approved Pasanen’s release.
He will be allowed to leave the Adelaide Remand Centre sometime today and must appear in court again in April.
Source: Adelaide Now
