Minister apologizes for failure to inform victim's family about killer's day release

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Victorian Corrections Minister Enver Ergogan has apologised to the family of a murder victim after they were not told her killer had been let out of prison on day release.

Adriana Donato, 20, was stabbed to death with a hunting knife by her ex-boyfriend James Stoneham in 2012.

Stoneham had researched how to murder Adriana before luring her to a park and stabbing her.

Adriana Donato, 20, was killed with a hunting knife by her former boyfriend James Stoneham. (Supplied)

He was sentenced to 19 years’ jail, with a minimum non-parole period of 14½ years in November 2013.

Despite Adriana’s mother, Grace Donato, placing herself on the Victorian Victims Register so she could be notified of any developments relating to Stoneham’s parole application, the family were not notified he had been let out into the community, The Age reports.

Donato and her family only found out when a relative said they thought they had seen Stoneham at a local shopping strip near the family home.

Adriana Donato's killer has been transferred to a low-security detention centre. — Adriana Donato’s killer has been transferred to a low-security detention centre. (Supplied)

In a statement this morning, Erdogan said he was sorry for the error.

“We extend our deepest sympathies to Ms Donato for what has occurred,” Erdogan said in the statement.

“This is an appalling error and it is completely unacceptable. Corrections Victoria have updated their processes to ensure this can never happen again.”

Donato told The Age she was initially sceptical that Stoneham was out in the community.

“I didn’t believe he could be out in the community. We dismissed [the relative] – we thought she was being ridiculous,” Donato said.

James Stoneham is led into the Supreme Court in 2013. (Justin McManus)

However, when Donato checked with police, she was told Donato had been transferred about a month earlier to the Lazarus centre, a block of self-contained units where residents can go out while accompanied.

Adriana was set to graduate from Melbourne University with a Bachelor of Science when she was killed with a single stab wound to her neck by Stoneham at Riverside Park, in Melbourne’s north-west.

Stoneham, who was adopted from Sri Lanka in 1991 when he was only eight weeks old, had been suffering major mental illness with psychotic features when he killed Donato, his defence team argued.