Australian serial killer wants freedom

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MELBOURNE, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- A man who killed six people in the 1970s, including a boy and his mother, should stay in jail until he dies, an Australian prosecutor said Tuesday.

Paul Steven Haigh, 54, has asked the Victoria Supreme Court to free him after he has served the minimum sentence, the (Melbourne) Herald Sun reported.

Peter Rose told the court Haigh's killings involved "particularly degrading acts." Citing Haigh's own admissions, Rose said he had another man rape his girlfriend before he stabbed her so both their DNA would be at the scene and "consoled" Danny Mitchell after he shot his mother, Sheryle Gardner, and before he put three bullets into the 10-year-old's head.

"These are just so horrible, that life without parole is the appropriate sentence," Rose said.

Haigh also blamed his victims, Rose said. He called Gardner a "bad mother" for putting her son into a dangerous situation, and said Evelyn Abrahams, an employee of a lottery agency, was "disobedient."

Dr. Yvonne Skinner, a psychiatrist, suggested there is a good chance Haigh will commit more crimes if he is freed. She said he lacks empathy with others.

"I think he deals with it by laying the blame on other people or factors," she said when asked if Haigh takes responsibility for his crimes.

Other witnesses testified that Haigh has used illegal drugs in prison, although he has tried to get treatment.