‘Over their shoulder’: Warning ahead of cop basher’s release
Written by admin on November 7, 2024
A police officer who was savagely bashed by a drug addict and left for dead has slammed the decision to release her attacker on parole, warning NSW women they will be “looking over their shoulder” as long as he is at large.
Former NSW Police Sergeant Samantha Barlow was on her way to work in Sydney’s Kings Cross in 2009 when she was attacked by Roderick Holohan, who fractured her skull, broke her nose, and injured her neck using a brick.
Holohan then left her for dead.
In 2010, he was sentenced to 21 years’ jail after pleading guilty to break and enter and commit a serious indictable offence, assault with intent to rob and armed robbery with wounding.
On Wednesday, the NSW State Parole Authority deemed him fit for release – despite Ms Barlow calling him an “animal” who was a danger to the community.
Speaking to Ben Fordham on 2GB on Thursday, Ms Barlow said the decision was a risk to women across the state.
“They should always be looking over their shoulder, which is a pretty sad thing to say,” Ms Barlow said.
“The politicians are really not serious about protecting women anymore, so they’ve failed.”
Asked if the Parole Authority had considered her objection to Holohan’s release, Ms Barlow said “they may have listened, but it meant nothing”.
“It was decided,” she said.
“So, the only thing that we accomplished was not letting him have parole on that date,”
Ms Barlow slammed Holohan’s release conditions as “absurd” and claimed he would offend again.
“One (condition) is to not break the law. How can that be an actual parole condition? No-one is supposed to break the law,” she said.
“He has five nights emergency accommodation when he gets out, and then he’s got nowhere to live. He’ll live on the streets.”
She later added: “He will reoffend clearly in the next few weeks, and he’ll be back on back in jail where he belongs.
“I feel sorry for the next victim and their family.”
In coming to their decision, the State Parole Authority said granting parole was a “balancing exercise” and they remained committed to “the protection of the community”.
“The Authority has come to the view that community safety is better protected by monitoring this offender on a very lengthy period of supervised parole with strict conditions, to manage his reintegration and reduce his risk of reoffending,” the Parole Authority said.
“If the offender were released at the end of sentence, there would be no risk mitigation plan in place and no supervision, and the danger posed to community safety would be substantially greater.”
Ms Barlow was vocal in her opposition to Holohan’s release.
“He bashed me until I was unconscious. When he went through my bag and discovered I was a sergeant he went back and kept smashing me in the head until he thought he killed me,” she said.
“So, why are we even considering letting him back into the community we all live in? He ruined my life. I lost my career. I cannot smell or taste food and never will”.
