NSW: No mercy for Neddy Smith from NSW government
11 Dec 2008 12:34 PM
SYDNEY, Dec 11 AAP - The NSW government will not be offering any mercy to gravely ill murderer Neddy Smith by granting him a release from jail.
Arthur "Neddy" Stanley Smith has asked his lawyers to apply for his release from Long Bay jail's hospital based on his medical condition, The Daily Telegraph reports on Thursday.
Smith, who is serving life for murder, suffers from Parkinson's disease and is confined to a wheelchair with a broken hip.
The application for his release is to be lodged with Attorney-General John Hatzistergos.
Asked today if Smith would be granted a release on medical grounds, Premier Nathan Rees replied, "Certainly not".
"All of us who are human beings have some sympathy for someone who is gravely ill," he told Fairfax Radio Network
"But Neddy Smith is not a larrikin, he's not a loveable rogue, he's someone who has been a very dangerous criminal and it's not appropriate for him to be out on the streets."
"We will not entertain the notion of him being released."
The NSW opposition agrees, with its legal affairs spokesman Greg Smith saying while he was "all for showing compassion" the legal system had to send a message that you "can't murder in cold blood".
"Life means life for him," he said.
