Suppression Order Revoked for Snowtown Accomplice James Vlassakis

Key Developments

The South Australian Court of Appeal has revoked a suppression order on James Vlassakis's image and description, originally imposed in 1999 to protect his identity during testimony against John Bunting and Robert Wagner.

Vlassakis is one of four men involved in the "bodies-in-the-barrels" serial killings in South Australia between 1992 and 1999.

The Crimes

He pleaded guilty to four murders and testified against Bunting and Wagner, who received life sentences without parole for 11 and 10 murders respectively. Vlassakis was sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 26 years.

The eight victims' bodies were found in barrels in a disused bank at Snowtown in 1999.

Vlassakis was 18 when he participated in the murder of his half-brother Troy Youde in 1998.

A fourth man, Mark Ray Haydon, was convicted of helping cover up seven murders and released in 2024 after serving a 25-year sentence.

Parole Status

Vlassakis was granted parole in 2023, but the decision was blocked after a review by Parole Administrative Review Commissioner Michael David KC.

The Parole Board has requested a judicial review, and the matter is again before the Court of Appeal.