The slayer of Irishwoman Jill Meagher openly fantasized about what it would be like to kill before he raped and murdered the young woman in Australia exactly a year ago, according to new reports.
A former workmate and friend of Adrian Bayley reportedly told police last year that he had chilling conversations with the convicted murderer in which he spoke about having sex with drunken girls and imagined how it would feel to kill someone.
The new insight into Bayley's depraved character comes as bereaved family and friends of the late 29-year-old, from Drogheda, Co. Louth, gather on Sunday to mark the first anniversary of her brutal death in Melbourne a year ago.
According to a report in the Melbourne-based Herald Sun, a former girlfriend of Bayley also told Australian police that the killer had violent and possessive tendencies and used her computer to look up rape pornography.
She is also reported to have told police that Bayley, 41 - who was sentenced in June to life in prison with a minimum of 35 years for the rape and murder of Ms. Meagher - that he had a penchant for dark-haired women.
The statements by the woman and the friend originally formed part of the evidence against Bayley, but were subsequently removed from the brief.
Ms. Meagher had been out with workmates and was walking back to her Melbourne home when she was raped and killed by parolee Bayley.
Earlier this month tough new laws which make breaching parole a crime were finally passed in the Australian State of Victoria in response to her murder.
It means police in Victoria can now arrest and detain parolees who have breached their release conditions and those convicted of the new offence face up to three months in jail or fines of nearly €3,000 (Aus$4,200).
The new legislation followed a damning report, released in the summer, which found the parole board exposed the community to higher risk because its decisions were titled in favour of offenders, not victims.
Following Bayley's conviction, serious questions were raised after it emerged he had been sexually assaulting women since his teens, had continued to do so after imprisonment, failed to report to parole officers and fractured a man's jaw while on parole before he raped and murdered Ms. Meagher.
Meanhwile, Ms. Meagher's bereaved widower, Thomas Meagher, issued a heartelt message on Facebook yesterday.
He said: "A massive thank you to all of you wonderful people who have supported us so selflessly since Jill was taken from us last year.
"I don't know how I would have coped without all of your love and kindness. Thank you."
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