The desperate mother of a four-year-old girl who was bashed, raped and killed, has revealed her anguish as her daughter’s murderer nears his release from prison.
Lauren Hickson was four-years-old when she was tortured and raped before being drowned in the Nepean river in south-west Sydney, just 300 metres from her home.
The horrific 1989 murder was committed by Neville Raymond Towner, then aged 23.
Lauren Hickson (pictured) was four-years-old when she was tortured and raped before she was drowned in the Nepean river in south-west Sydney, just 300 metres from her home
Now 28 years after the ‘sickening’ murder, the New South Wales parole board is considering Towner’s release.
The State Parole Authority is expected to meet on Tuesday to decide his fate.
Lauren’s heart-broken mother, Jurina Hickson, pleaded with the parole board on Monday, to keep him behind bars.
‘God forbid what he’ll do (if he’s released),’ she told Nine News on Monday.
Ms Hickson struggled to hold back tears as she remembered the life taken away from her.
‘It’s very very hard. She’d be 33 this year,’ she said.
‘She’s not here. She’s not here for Christmas, not here for family gatherings.’
Ms Hickson claimed Towner showed no remorse for the crime since his conviction in 1989.
‘He won’t talk about the murder. He just won’t talk about it… He’s shown no remorse, he’s never said once he’s sorry,’ she said.
The horrific murder, which happened on May 17 in 1989, was committed by Neville Raymond Towner (pictured), then 23
Ms Hickson (right) struggled to withhold tears as she remembered the life taken away from her
On May 18, 1989 Towner confessed to abducting Lauren (pictured), sexually assaulting her and her ultimate murder
On May 18, 1989 Towner confessed to abducting Lauren, sexually assaulting and murdering her.
A year later he was sentenced to life in prison.
In 2002, a judge changed his life sentence to a life with parole, for which he was eligible in 2009, Nine News reported.
In 2017 the State Parole Authority announced it intended to release Towner.
They are expected to discuss his fate on Tuesday this week.
Towner’s (pictured) possible release has angered Lauren’s family, with Ms Hickson claiming he showed no remorse for the crime