A drug addict who bashed a police officer with a brick and left her for dead will be released from prison despite officials admitting he is a high risk of re-offending.
Roderick Holohan was on parole for several violent offences when he bashed then-sergeant Samantha Barlow over the head while she was walking to work in Sydney's Kings Cross in May 2009.
He was sentenced to spend a maximum of more than 19 years in prison after the attack, during which he stole Ms Barlow's purse, phone and bag while believing the officer was dead.
The NSW State Parole Authority on Wednesday ordered Holohan be released before the end of November, arguing it would be better for him to be monitored in the community than left unsupervised when he finished his full sentence.
Ms Barlow, who survived the attack despite being dragged out of sight by Holohan while unconscious, has revealed she was initially kept in the dark about her attacker's parole hearing.
That revelation led Premier Chris Minns to foreshadow changes to ensure more transparency for victims of crime when parole considerations were made.
The savage bashing shattered part of her skull, leading to 22 months of extensive rehabilitation.
The former officer told the parole authority the heroin addict's offending changed her life, forcing her to quit her police job aged 37 and leaving her with lifelong injuries.
It heard evidence about Holohan's poor behaviour in prison and his high risk of re-offending, although Corrective Services NSW still recommended he be released.
"While it is a concern that he has incurred further institutional misconducts, it is noted that his behaviour has significantly improved since his last parole consideration," an assessment said.
The parole authority took into account the impact of the attack on Ms Barlow, but said the risks of re-offending were outweighed by the fact Holohan's rehabilitation had stalled behind bars.
"There is no evidence to suggest that if the offender remains in custody, any of those factors are likely to undergo any positive change," the authority said.
It was important to remember Holohan would have no risk-mitigation plan if he were not released until the end of his sentence, as he would be unsupervised, it said.
"He would, in that event, be left entirely to his own devices to manage his reintegration into the community, without any level of support whatsoever, after being incarcerated for almost 20 years," the authority said.
Holohan's parole conditions include attendance at a violent offenders program, limits on where he can go in NSW and a total drug ban.
