Authorities have refused to grant parole to Robert Black Farmer, the man who shocked a nation when he carried out a horrific and near-fatal attack on Sydney teenager Lauren Huxley more than 20 years ago.
The decision was handed down by the NSW State Parole Authority following a closed-door meeting today.
Lauren’s sister Simone said the decision gave the family “a measure of relief and reassurance” knowing they’d been heard and acknowledged.
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“Nothing can undo what my sister has endured, nor the lasting impact this crime continues to have on our family,” she said, in a statement shared by Corrective Services NSW.
“The parole process has been deeply emotional, forcing us to revisit trauma we have spent years working to navigate.
“While today’s outcome offers some comfort and allows us a little more space to breathe, healing is an ongoing journey. For victims and the families who stand beside them, there is no definitive endpoint.”
In 2005, Farmer brutally attacked then-18-year-old Huxley inside her Northmead home, leaving her for dead before setting the house on fire.
Huxley, a TAFE marketing student, had just caught the bus home to Northmead, in the city’s west, when Farmer, a 39-year-old stranger, ambushed her.
Farmer chased the teenager through the house and into the yard before cornering her in the garage.
There, he brutally bashed her with heavy fibro-cutters. He then bound her with electrical cords, doused her in petrol, and lit a fire in the kitchen, leaving her to burn alive.
Doctors gave Huxley a mere five percent chance of survival. She suffered catastrophic, severe brain injuries. Against all odds, and through years of grueling rehabilitation, Lauren survived to rebuild her life, though she has never fully recovered.
Farmer was convicted by a jury in 2008 of serious offences, including wounding with intent to murder, and was sentenced to 24.5 years in prison.
Under NSW parole guidelines, the authority is legally required to consider parole for Farmer before his 20-year non-parole period ends in July 2026.
Following today’s refusal, Farmer has the right to apply for a review. If he does not appeal, or if his application is rejected, the decision stands and he will remain behind bars, unable to be reconsidered for release until his anniversary date next year.
Farmer’s prison sentence does not expire until January 31, 2031.
The decision brings a dramatic end to weeks of agonising tension for Huxley, now 38, who earlier this month spoke to A Current Affair about the terrifying prospect of her attacker walking the streets once again.
“It scares me for sure,” Huxley told A Current Affair.
“Not just for myself, my family and friends, but also the general public. Because you don’t know… what is he capable of doing next?”
In making its determination, the NSW State Parole Authority panel accepted the expert advice of the Serious Offenders Review Council, which explicitly stated that parole is completely inappropriate at this time.
“We are not satisfied that his release to parole is sufficient for his re-integration and the protection of the public,” the SORC report stated.
The authority was advised that Farmer continues to deny his offences and had failed to participate in a critical violent offenders therapy program.
Instead, for the past six months, he has engaged in an alternative pathway consisting of one-on-one Risk Mitigation Intervention sessions with a senior Corrective Services NSW psychologist.
Before denying parole, the panel considered written submissions made by the Huxley family and members of the public.
Responding directly to the family, the panel expressed its deepest sympathies and admiration for their ongoing strength.
“The Authority recognises the profound and enduring harm caused to Lauren and her family by this offending. We admire their courage and resilience, and our thoughts remain with them,” the panel said.
“We understand the concerns they have raised and that of the community. In all decisions, the protection of the community, including the safety and wellbeing of victims and their families, remains our priority.”
The decision was kept strictly confidential this morning until the Corrective Services Victim’s Register could personally notify Lauren and her family.
