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It was one of the most horrific crimes imaginable, a little girl raped and murdered in a Perth shopping centre toilet.
Now child killer Dante Arthurs is up for parole in weeks and the family of his victim, Sophia Rodrigues-Urrutia Shu, fear he’ll strike again if released.
It’s a crime that still haunts Western Australians nearly two decades after the eight-year-old was robbed of her innocence and life.
“At the time this was considered one of this nation’s most horrific crimes,” former police officer Paul Litherland told 9News.
Arthurs was jailed for life with a minimum of just 13 years, a sentence that sparked outrage and eventually law reforms.
He has already been denied bail twice and his next review is due in May.
“The country is still reeling from this and the family is still reeling from this crime,” Litherland said.
A petition to keep the predator locked up has attracted more than 150,000 signatures.
“I started the petition in 2019 just to send a message to the decision makers that I didn’t want this to be a tick of a box,” Litherland said.
He was the family’s police liaison officer and a parent at Sofia’s school.
“It shocked me to the core and the impact it had on our community is something I’ll never forget,” he said.
Sofia’s family is now forced to relieve what happened to her in the shopping centre toilet every three years when Arthurs’ parole is reviewed.
“Also very concerning to them if he does get out to have that constant fear that he might reoffend,” Litherland said.
Police Commissioner Col Blanch said: “I think people know me well enough to know what I think Dante Arthurs should be doing for the rest of his life.”
The family is hoping the parole board shares a similar view.
