An armed robber who killed a toddler during an adrenaline-charged police pursuit will be released on parole in the face of family and prison opposition.
Skye Sassine died in her father’s arms from head injuries after William Ngati’s vehicle slammed into the back of the family car as he tried to escape arrest in southwest Sydney on New Year’s Eve in 2009.
Her death sparked the passage of Skye’s Law, creating a separate NSW offence of leading police on a high-speed chase.
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Ahead of Ngati’s minimum 14-year sentence expiring on Thursday, the NSW State Parole Authority on Tuesday granted the 41-year-old release on parole.
“It is the authority’s view that the community’s safety is best protected by the offender’s release with close supervision, rather than his release at some later time with no supervision at all,” authority chair Geoffrey Bellew SC said.
While Ngati had been on parole at the time of the toddler’s death, his lawyers pointed to his “real shift in mentality” in recent times, consistent with a long-term commitment to rehabilitation and the expression of genuine remorse.
He also had an unusually high level of family support to help implement post-release plans.
Aimee Sassine firmly opposed the release of her daughter’s killer and contested claims he had demonstrated remorse for the 19-month-old’s death.
The head of the state’s prisons also opposed parole, saying the significant gains Ngati had made in his rehabilitation did not sufficiently mitigate the risk to the community.
While some reports detailed earlier poor behaviour in custody, Ngati had shown a commitment to rehabilitation, the authority said.
A stringent supervision plan – including bans on approaching or contacting Skye’s family – would likely address the risk of re-offending, Bellow said.
Before the fatal crash, Ngati led police through Sydney’s southwest suburbs after robbing bottle shops at Peakhurst and East Hills at gunpoint earlier in the evening.
Ngati and police drove at speeds of up to 160km/h, ran 14 red lights and drove on the wrong side of the road for 15 minutes.
The officers involved were disciplined after an internal investigation, including one who was criticised by a coroner for driving as if he was “on a race track”.
Ngati is due to be released by May 7. His full sentence expires in 2029.
