A frail looking Ivan Milat has been seen for the first time in a decade, being wheeled out of the hospital where he has spent the past two weeks being treated for cancer.
Milat, 74, was transferred from Prince of Wales Hospital, in Randwick, to nearby Long Bay Prison on Tuesday morning under heavy guard from police and prison officers.
The ageing killer was dressed in regulation prison greens with long white hair, while his trademark handlebar moustache was also white.
Milat – Australia’s worst ever serial killer – has been in hospital since May 13 where he has been undergoing treatment for throat and stomach cancer.
Doctors have told Milat that he likely has just weeks left to live.
A frail looking Ivan Milat (pictured) has been seen for the first time in a decade, being wheeled out of Prince of Wales H ospital in Randwick to be transported to the nearby Long Bay Prison
Milat (pictured) – Australia’s worst ever serial killer – has been in hospital since May 13 where he is being treated for cancer of the oesophagus. Doctors have given him just weeks left to live
Milat, 74, was dressed in regulation prison greens with long white hair, while his trademark handlebar moustache was also white. He looked gaunt, having lost close to 20kgs in recent months
Milat worked in construction during the 1980s. His handlebar moustache became (pictured) legendary
Milat arrived at Long Bay Prison just after 12.30pm, sitting in between prison officers in the backseat with his head bowed.
With his diagnosis terminal, police are expected to interview Milat for one last time about several other old cold-cases.
Despite being convicted of murdering seven backpackers and dumping their bodies in Belanglo State Forest, Milat has always maintained his innocence.
In addition to the deaths of Deborah Everist, James Gibson, Simone Schmidl, Gabor Neugebauer, Anja Habschied, Caroline Clarke and Joanne Walters, Milat is set to be asked about several other unsolved deaths.
Among them will be that of Peter Letcher, an 18-year-old man found dead in January 1988.
The deceased man had five bullet holes in his head and Milat was employed by the Department of Main Roads at the time in that area.
His elderly father Brian Letcher, who now lives on the Gold Coast in Queensland, said a confession from Milat would mean a lot to him.
‘We have only ever had rumours,’ Mr Letcher, now 77, told The Australian.
‘If he would confess to it, it would be a big relief, but there’s probably a 100 per cent chance of him not confessing.’
After two weeks in hospital Milat was transferred under heavy guard from police and prison officers
Wearing white, Dunlop Volley style shoes, Milat had shackles around his feet and handcuffs on his hands
Milat was placed into the back seat of a 4WD and driven the 15 minutes south to his new home – Long Bay Prison
Milat has spent the past fortnight been cared for on Level 9 of Prince of Wales Hospital, in the secure unit (pictured) which is designed specifically to house prisoners in need of treatment
The hospital ward is fitted out to be like a prison and features reinforced walls, steel doors and barred windows
Milat was jailed in 1996 after being convicted of murdering seven backpackers in the Belanglo State Forest, south of Sydney, between 1989 and 1992.
He has spent most most of the last two-and-a-half decades in Goulburn’s Supermax prison, the strictest in Australia.
Milat has left the prison on just two other occasions – once in 2001 for a court appearance and once in 2009 when he cut off his finger.
He is currently serving seven life sentences, which are all to be served consecutively and without the posibility of parole.
He stabbed most of his victims – decapitating one whose head has never been found – and shot another 10 times in the head as if using her for target practice.
He was also questioned in 2004 about the disappearance of two nurses at Parramatta in 1980 when he was working at the nearby Granville depot of the then Department of Main Roads.
In 2006 Milat was named by police at an inquest as the person most likely to have killed a schoolgirl and her boyfriend who disappeared from northern Sydney in 1978.
Milat (right) and his brother Richard (lef) singing at a family gathering. During his trial, Milat’s lawyer attempted to shift the blame for some of the backpacker killings to Richard