Haunting video footage of a 25-year-old woman’s last meal has been revealed, showing her killer sitting opposite her over dinner while he ominously plays with a knife.
Courtney Herron, 25, died later that same night after the homeless man she treated to dinner bludgeoned her to death in Melbourne’s Royal Park in a savage hour-long attack.
She was so badly disfigured after being brutally beaten with a tree branch that her father John Herron was not allowed to see her body.
‘Courtney’s body was covered by a sheet and all I could do is touch her foot on the sheet,’ the heartbroken lawyer told Nine’s A Current Affair.
‘Her injuries were so severe that the mortician couldn’t put her skull together again.’
Courtney Herron, 25, (pictured) died after the man she treated to dinner bludgeoned her to death in Melbourne’s Royal Park in a savage hour-long attack
Killer Henry Hammond, aged 27 at the time of the attack in May 2019, had just been freed from jail when he met Ms Herron for dinner at the Vegie Bar in Brunswick.
The homeless son of a wealthy investment banker, he had been jailed for 10 months for pulling a knife on an ex-girlfriend and trying to strangle her.
But a County Court judge had released Hammond early on a Community Corrections Order under guidance from Corrections Victoria staff after Hammond appealed the sentence.
Now Mr Herron is fighting to change the law and prevent anyone facing a similar fate to his beloved daughter.
Courtney Herron was so badly disfigured by the brutal beating, her father John Herron was not allowed to see her body. Father and daughter are pictured above
Courtney Herron, 25, (pictured) died after the man she treated to dinner bludgeoned her to death in Melbourne’s Royal Park in a savage hour-long attack
He claims Hammond was cleared for release and then unmonitored by authorities despite them knowing he was homeless and living in a van.
Within weeks of being let out, Hammond was reportedly a heroin junkie, walking the streets barefoot – but still a free man when he mercilessly killed Courtney.
Now Mr Herron is suing the State of Victoria for negligence leading to her death by recommending his release without properly assessing him or any follow up checks.
And they fear he could still be released again at any time despite a 25-year supervision order.
Henry Hammond (left) had been jailed for 10-months for pulling a knife on an ex-girlfriend and trying to strangle her. Within weeks of being released Hammond (right) was reportedly a heroin junkie, walking the streets barefoot – but still a free man when he mercilessly killed Courtney
Hammond has since been moved to the state-run Thomas Embling Psychiatric Hospital where it’s claimed killers can be given unsupervised day release.
Mr Herron’s lawyer Nick Mann, who is pursuing the legal action for the family, says it’s another example of the government of Victoria letting the people down.
‘Like a lot of Victorians, I was concerned and mortified to see what happened to Jill Meagher,” he told the show. ‘And that tragedy seems to have taught us nothing.
‘Courtney died as a result of endemic failures in the protections that should be in place.’
Henry Hammond (pictured here with Courtney Herron having her final meal just before he killed her) has since been moved to the state-run Thomas Embling Psychiatric Hospital where it’s claimed killers can be given unsupervised day release
Mr Herron added: ‘The system really needs to be completely recalibrated. Not just band-aid solutions – initiatives that never get implemented.
‘If I can save one life, that’s what Courtney would want.’
Corrections Victoria declined to discuss individual cases when approached by the TV show.
In August 2020, Hammond was declared not guilty over the horrific murder of Ms Herron.
He had pleaded not guilty by mental impairment earlier that year.
Mr Herron, who is himself a criminal lawyer, previously told Daily Mail Australia he fully expected Hammond to apply for a review and be granted release within five years.
‘Justice has been denied for Courtney. You’ve got a serial attacker of women who now gets his fourth chance to be let loose and he’s learnt no lessons because he’s always been bailed out of trouble and here’s another example,’ he said.
‘I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s day tripping in one to two years, if not sooner. As is the norm for Thomas Embling.’
A lonely spot to die: The body of Courtney Herron was found bloody and beaten between these logs (pictured in 2019)