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🇦🇺 Australia /Crime & Justice

Parole worker caught in bed with fugitive killer avoids jail

From ABC Australia · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • A former Alice Springs parole support worker, Samantha Alampi, received a 12-month intensive community correction order and five months of home detention for helping a convicted killer evade authorities.
  • Alampi, employed by NAAJA, developed an "grossly inappropriate" relationship with the parolee and misled authorities about his whereabouts after he removed his electronic monitoring device.
  • Police found Alampi with the fugitive multiple times, including sharing a hotel room, before they were discovered together in a resort room, leading to her conviction for attempting to pervert the course of justice.

A former parole support worker in Alice Springs has avoided jail time after being sentenced for her role in helping a convicted killer abscond from parole. Samantha Alampi, 37, received a 12-month intensive community correction order and five months of home detention from the Northern Territory Supreme Court.

Part of your role as a through-care coordinator was to assist the prisoner reintegrating into their community.

— Chief Justice Michael GrantThe Chief Justice described Alampi's professional responsibilities in his sentencing remarks.

Alampi, who worked for the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) as a through-care coordinator, was tasked with supporting the then-20-year-old man upon his parole release in July 2024. The man, previously convicted of manslaughter as a youth, cannot be named for legal reasons. Over the next four months, Alampi developed what Chief Justice Michael Grant described as a "grossly inappropriate" relationship with the parolee.

Over the following four months, you developed a relationship with the prisoner which can only be described as grossly inappropriate.

— Chief Justice Michael GrantThe Chief Justice characterized the relationship between Alampi and the parolee.

The situation escalated on November 6 when the parolee removed his electronic monitoring device. Alampi, aware of his breach, misled a community corrections officer who inquired about the parolee's location, initially claiming ignorance and later suggesting he might have traveled to Darwin. Despite this, Alampi booked a hotel room and met with the parolee that evening.

You replied that you did not know where or with whom the prisoner was.

— Chief Justice Michael GrantThe Chief Justice recounted Alampi's initial misleading statement to authorities when asked about the parolee's whereabouts.

Police continued to track the pair, finding Alampi packing the parolee's belongings at a hostel on November 8, claiming it was a professional act. However, her actions were deemed "misleading, deceptive and criminal conduct." The following day, police located Alampi and the fugitive sleeping together in a room at the Mercure Resort Alice Springs. Her conviction for attempting to pervert the course of justice stems from her active assistance in helping the parolee evade capture.

That was misleading, deceptive and criminal conduct.

— Chief Justice Michael GrantThe Chief Justice condemned Alampi's actions after she was found packing the parolee's belongings.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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