How much longer must George and Christina Halvagis suffer before they can begin closure?
Fourteen years after the horrific murder of their 25-year-old daughter Mersina, in Melbourne’s Fawkner cemetery, serial killer Peter Dupas remains in a position to once again legally contest the conviction.
Last week, Victoria’s Court of Appeal heard an application to strike out Dupas’ latest attempt to appeal against the conviction for Mersina’s murder.
Though it was widely expected that the Court of Appeal would uphold the application, Chief Justice Marilyn Warren said that in the absence of Legal Aid, the court would give Dupas until December 14 to find a barrister who will represent him ‘pro bono’.
Dupas told the court that he had only learned four days before that Legal Aid would not fund his appeal.
The appeal court had expected to take the administrative decision to dismiss the case, but the three appeal judges said Dupas would be given a last chance because of the delay in Victoria Legal Aid informing him of its decision.
Chief Justice Warren described the delay in informing Dupas as “unfortunate” and told Dupas that if he was unable to find a barrister to represent him, he should be prepared to argue his own case on December 14.
Dupas did not receive Legal Aid funding to fight the application after an independent review upheld a decision to refuse him further financial assistance. In 33 legal proceedings since 1997, it is estimated over $3 million has been spent in relation to hearings and appeals Dupas has made after being found guilty of three murders.
In 2000, Dupas was convicted of killing psychotherapist Nicole Patterson, who was stabbed to death at her Northcote home. Four years later he was convicted of the stabbing murder of sex worker Margaret Maher, whose body was found in an industrial estate at Somerton in 1997 – one month before Mersina Halvagis was killed.
Dupas’ first conviction was for rape in 1974, when he was sentenced to nine years imprisonment. He served five years. Shortly after his release in 1980, Dupas received another five year minimum prison sentence for three charges of assault with intent to rape and malicious wounding.
In 1980 a report on Dupas stated, “he remains an extremely disturbed, immature, and dangerous man. His release on parole was a mistake.” Dupas was again released from prison in February 1985.
After being convicted of Ms Halvagis’ murder ten years after her death in 1997, Dupas was granted a retrial after appealing. A second trial last year found him guilty for the second time.
Dupas is the prime suspect in at least three other murders committed in Melbourne during the 1980s and 1990s.