Merthyr Tydfil father calls for Childers hostel killer to stay in prison
- Published
Fruit picker Robert Long was jailed for life but is now eligible for parole
The father of a Welsh backpacker who died in an Australian hostel fire 20 years ago wants the man responsible to remain in prison.
Friends Natalie Morris, 28, from Merthyr Tydfil, and Sarah Williams, 23, from Cefn Coed, were among 15 backpackers killed in the blaze, external in Childers, Queensland in June 2000.
Fruit picker Robert Long was convicted and jailed for life two years later.
However he is now eligible for parole and has launched an appeal for release.
Long was sentenced to life imprisonment for two counts of murder and 15 years for arson, with the sentences to be served concurrently, for the blaze at The Palace Backpackers Hostel.
Sarah Williams and Natalie Morris were among 15 backpackers killed in the fire
He was convicted of the murders of 27-year-old Australian twins Kelly and Stacey Slarke.
However he was not charged with the 13 other deaths at the time because he faced a maximum life sentence if convicted.
The 56-year-old has now served his minimum term and could be free within weeks if an application for parole is granted, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, external.
Ms Morris and Ms Williams were among seven Britons who died in the fire.
A third friend, Kelly Symonds, 18, from Aberfan, was among 70 people rescued.
Of friends Sarah Williams, Kelly Symonds and Natalie Morris, only Ms Symonds survived the fire
Ms Morris's father, Ken, previously called for Long to never be released, external.
Now 83, he said his wife died "heartbroken" eight years after the death of their daughter.
"For a man to do that, he knew what he was doing. I just hate the man, that's all I can say," he said.
"It ruined my life. My daughter was the love of my life, and I'm heartbroken for what my wife had to put up with.
"She lived for eight years after and she was only a young woman [but] she was heartbroken and just wouldn't get on with life.
"She couldn't talk to people. In the end she ended up spending a lot of time in bed through the illness it brought on. She was heartbroken, so am I.
"This is the one thing that fetches tears to my eyes, thinking of my daughter. Trying to get it of your mind from time to time in bed, thinking what she would have gone through. It's terrible.
"So I honestly hope his appeal is turned down and my daughter and her friend Sarah get the justice they deserve."
An online petition, started by Dutch survivor Rob Jansen, calling for Long to be kept behind bars, has been signed by more than 15,000 people.
He wrote: "We, the survivors of the blaze, are trying to reach the attention of the Parole Board Queensland, to convince them that Robert Paul Long should remain behind bars and serve time for the rest of his life."
Natalie Morris' father Ken said the fire destroyed his family's life
Later this month will see the 20th anniversary of the fire in the small town, 180 miles north of Brisbane, that also claimed the lives of people from Australia, Ireland, the Netherlands, Japan and South Korea.
Gary Sutton, 24, from Bath, Michael Lewis, 25, from Bristol, Adam Rowland, 19, from East Sussex, Claire Webb, 24, from Berkshire and Melissa Smith, 26, also from Berkshire, were the other Britons who perished.
"Twenty years sounds like a long time but it's not when you've lost someone close to you," said Mr Morris.
"I'll be up the cemetery putting flowers down and a card. I'll be spending a bit of time up there with my son. I'm always thinking of my daughter. I try to put it behind me because it still hurts.
"I hope to God the appeal is turned down."