Families battle to find a new life after the deaths of daughters and sons George Halvagis - pictured outside the High Court - has fought a protracted battle for justice for his daughter and for others. GEORGE HALVAGIS - Dad's battle for parole reforms GEORGE Halvagis doesn't use a computer. He never learned how - says it's the sort of thing he would have relied on daughter Mersina to teach him. "She'd have sat me down and said "here Daddy,"" Mr Halvagis says. Mersina, 25, was murdered as she lent to kiss her grandmother's monument at Faulkner Cemetery on November 1, 1997. Her assailant was serial killer Peter Dupas, a rapist who had been paroled many times, and reoffended until he eventually progressed to murder. How can you forget something like that? Mr Halvagis says. He never will, and he doesn't want anyone else to either. It's not the details of Mersina's death he wants remembered, but the way in which the justice system failed her. To Mr Halvagis, complacency is as dangerous as any criminal. "People are angry about parole now, but it will gradually fade away and it will happen again," he says. More than a dozen Victorians have been slain by men on parole since 2008. Parole has received widespread media attention since the death of Jill Meagher - a life Mr Halvagis says would not have been lost had more been done when he and others began pushing reform more than a decade ago. "Parole is why Mersina, Nicole Patterson and others are not here today," he says. Sex crazed predator Peter Dupas at the Supreme Court during his trial for the murder of psychotherapist Nicole Patterson. He was later convicted of Mersina Halvagis's murder as well. Picture: Cameron L'estrange Source: News Limited If you breach parole by committing more crimes, you should never get parole again. He (Dupas) was in and out of jail so many times. Dupas had attacked women during his parole periods, but was still released on parole after each new minimum term. One victim was attacked just four days after his release. His last parole expired just a month before his horrific mutilation murder of Margaret Maher in 1997. Mersina died four weeks later. It was lobbying by Mr Halvagis that saw the closing of a loophole that had allowed criminals like Dupas avoid being questioned over other crimes. The Halvagis and Patterson families were once friends, but hadn't seen each other for years. It was only when their girls fell victim to the same killer two years apart that they were reunited, with Mr Halvagis reaching out to Nicky Patterson's parents to offer the kind of support only someone who has known tragedy can give. It's something he's done for many families. Mr Halvagis has become a fixture at Supreme Court hearings, supporting families through what is for many the most difficult experience of their lives. He also has an official role as a Crime Stoppers ambassador, encouraging minority and multilingual communities to speak up and report crime. The Mersina Halvagis Award is presented each year to a media organisation that has helped combat crime. Crime Stoppers CEO Sam Hunter says he's been a tireless advocate and community fundraiser for the program. He sees this as a lasting legacy for Mersina. It's about making the community a better place," Ms Hunter says. Pam O'Donnell is foster carer and had long been a victim advocate. The loss of her daughter Nicky Patterson, to serial killer Peter Dupas in 1999, inspired her to help others. PAM O'DONNELL - Push for tougher sentences GRANDMOTHER Pam O'Donnell has become a mum again. Ms O'Donnell and husband Brian are caring for a gorgeous two-year-old, their second since recently becoming foster parents. They love it. "Nicky wanted to make a difference, so in a way it's a legacy of hers as well," Mrs O'Donnell says. Kids loved Nicky. It's something in memory of her as well. Nicky was 28 when she was killed by Dupas at her Northcote home on April 19, 1999. She was devoted to helping troubled kids, working as a youth counsellor and volunteering at the Ardoch Centre for homeless youth. Pam O'Donnell's daughter Nicky Patterson, who was a devoted volunteer youth worker. Picture: Ian Baker Source: News Limited Her death brought Mrs O'Donnell into contact with the legal system for the first time in her life. It also saw her thrust into a role she never could have expected, as a victim advocate and the face of a campaign for tougher sentencing of sex offenders. Together they have fought for tougher sentencing and greater recognition for victims in the legal process. One issue that has long riled Mrs O'Donnell is concurrency, and the discount given to those who plead guilty when there is a mountain of evidence against them. "I can understand why pleading guilty is an option," she says. But it's frustrating that it means that get a lighter sentence. Dupas was the beneficiary of several both concurrent sentences for multiple crimes and discounts for admitting guilt. In 1980 he got a five-year minimum term for rape and other sex offences committed shortly after being released after an earlier rape - and a month after being paroled for those crimes, Dupas raped again. Mrs O'Donnell says proposed changes to the parole system, such as those outlined in the recent Callinan report, were great in theory. But it's action that matters. "I just want to make sure they don't let this issue drop," she says. You never want it to happen to anyone else's kids. Janine Greening has campaigned for justice for her mother Marie Greening Zidan, who was killed in 2000 by two youths who can never be named. Picture: Tony Gough Source: News Limited JANINE GREENING - Helping others cope MARIE Greening Zidan was a mother of three when she went back to school. Daughter Janine Greening says her mother believed the best way to help autistic son Peter was to learn to understand him. Marie earned a psychology degree, and helped psychiatric patients understand their rights through her role at the Office of Public Advocacy. Peter was at home the night two local boys broke into Marie's Seaford home. He cowered in fear in another room as the pair sexually assaulted then killed her. Knowing the two killers could never be named because of their age at the time was bad enough. Then came the plea bargain that saw murder charges downgraded to manslaughter, and sentences so light they were overturned by the Court of Appeal. With the Homicide Victims Support Association, Ms Greening has helped many others through the court process. There are calls all hours of the day and night, mostly police or other agencies referring victims in need. Like her mother, she juggles her victim advocacy work with her own commitments with children and grandchildren, and somehow finds the time to study for her diploma in community work. She also formed the ForgetMeNot Foundation, running a series of public forums on post traumatic stress disorder for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and other crimes (and their families); road trauma survivors, war veterans, refugees, families touched by suicide and bullying victims. "I don't ever get days off, but because I don't get paid the work is seen as less important," Ms Greening says. But I am very proud of the work we do. Ms Greening has long campaigned for changes to the laws that protect her mother's killers, because she is convinced that it will save someone else from the same fate. She wrote letter after letter to politicians, and has met with Victorian Attorney-General Robert Clark to discuss legislation relating to young offenders and her work with crime victims. Ms Greening is now a member of the Victim Consultative Committee, chaired by former Supreme Court Justice Phil Cummins. Sandra Betts is now President of victim group Support After Murder. The murder of her daughter Raechel by a double-killer on parole has spurred her into action against a failing justice system. SANDRA BETTS - Advocate for victims SHE's been a court transcriber, a physiotherapist, and a teacher. And Sandra Betts has just added a title to her resume - that of President of victim group Support After Murder. She's just returned from a conference in South Australia, where the idea of legal representation for victims in court proceedings was a major talking point. It's something that already happens in many other nations, including the UK, USA, Germany and Japan. "It does give (victims) better representation and involvement in the processes, and it means they are better informed," she says. Ms Betts says that while the prosecutors do their best, victims are not their priority while they are trying to conduct a murder trial. It means families are often left in the dark about legal processes, she says. "What rights a victim has, a victim doesn't know," she says. She cites the trial of daughter Raechel's killer John Leslie Coombes. Raechel Betts as a cheeky child. She was brutally killed and dumped at sea at Phillip Island by a paroled killer. He made false allegations about Raechel that weren't objected to by the prosecution, lies that could not be refuted publicly by her devastated family while the trial was on. Coombes had killed twice before Raechel, but was released on parole. He was living with another criminal, largely unsupervised and dealing in drugs. Raechel's murder was refused a coronial inquest, with the wider issue of parolee murders examined as part of another case. Ms Betts represented herself before State Coroner Ian Gray in that wider inquest, determined that the specific failures in the parole management of Coombes not be overlooked, or underplayed by those responsible. John Leslie Coombes, who had killed twice before he was released on parole, largely unsupervised. He went on to murder Raechel Betts. "We expect that where a highly dangerous person is being located (on parole) would be a man concern, but it's not," she says. The government has a aduty to maintain their supervision and authority over these prisoners. They should not suddenly be living as free and easy as somebody not serving a sentence. To achieve better control of parolees, Ms Betts wants more resources for supervision. And more transparency by Corrections and the Department of Justice about what has failed in the past, so mistakes are not repeated. "It's not just for the safety of the community," Ms Betts says. It's also about how they are performing the function of assisting the prisoners to reintegrate into society. Support After Murder vice president Bruce Kimball. His son Ross was killed by a violent criminal he was unlucky enough to cross paths with outside a hotel one night. BRUCE KIMBALL - A message to the young AS a former kickboxing champion, Ross Kimball was one bloke you'd expect to be able to look himself in a fight. But the father of two was defenceless when attacked with a knife in the early hours of January 2, 2002. Leaving an Albury hotel with his wife and friends, Ross ran into a drunk and drug-affected group that included an armed robber on parole, Warren Alan Forbes. "It doesn't matter how good a fighter you think you are, you just don't know what's around the corner," his father Bruce Kimball says. It's a message he's been spreading throughout Victoria's schools for the past few months. Rather than preaching about the evils of drink and drugs, Mr Kimball encourages teenagers to protect each other when they go out, to "look after the weakest link." He has addressed to school groups about his own experiences as a victim, and how a homicide affects the community. They've been to about 90 schools so far, handing out cards for students to keep in their wallets with hotline numbers they can call in a crisis, or if they just need someone to listen to them. "Kids won't talk to their parents, but they will talk to a stranger," he says. He is keen to establish community networks for victims in regional Victoria, where support is often lacking. Ross Kimball who was killed by Warren Alan Forbes, a convicted armed robber. Picture: Matthew Bouwmeester Source: News Limited Should tragedy strike in a country town, he says, a grieving relative or friend could be quickly put in touch with someone local who truly understands what they are going through. "The range of emotions you go through is just phenomenal - there's disbelief, anger, anxiety, depression," he says. We're not counsellors. We are peer support. And sometimes that offers more help for victims than psychology. Mr Kimball is also a member of the Victim Consultative Committee, which meets four times a year. He says it's already having an impact, with several recommendations being acted upon by the State Government. "It gives you the sense that they are finally listening to us," Mr Kimball says. He is also vice President of Support After Murder, the group he formed following Ross's death. Victims of crime and their families can contact any of these groups for support: Support after Murder: http://supportaftermurder.org.au/ Homicide Victims Support Group: http://www.victoriahomicide.com.au/linksforvictims.html Forgetmenot Foundation: http://www.victoriahomicide.com.au/forgetmenot.html