Chang's killer freed, set to be deported

12 Oct 2012, 6:47 pm   -   Source: AAP
The NSW attorney-general will not appeal a decision to grant parole to Victor Chang's killer. (AAP)

The NSW attorney-general will not appeal a decision to grant parole to Victor Chang's killer. (AAP)

Victor Chang's murderer has been freed from jail after serving 21 years and is set to be deported to Malaysia.

Victor Chang's murderer has been released from jail after serving 21 years for shooting dead the world renowned heart transplant surgeon.

Chiew Seng Liew was driven out of Long Bay Correctional Centre, in Sydney's east, about 6.10pm (AEDT) on Friday in a procession of three white Holden Commodore wagons driven by Department of Immigration officers.

The windows and views into the rear seats were shrouded with dark blankets and garments.

Hours earlier, NSW Attorney-General Greg Smith said that the government would not launch a further appeal against Liew's release.

"We have tried to prevent the release of this offender on parole. We've done what we could," Mr Smith said in a statement.

The frail 69-year-old Malaysian national suffers from Parkinson's disease, the early onset of dementia and a host of physical ailments.

As an inmate, he held a bridging visa which expired as soon as he left custody, triggering his deportation.

An immigration spokesman would not comment on when Liew would depart Australia, but it is understood he could leave as early as Friday evening.

Liew gunned down Dr Chang in the northern Sydney suburb of Mosman in 1991 in a bungled attempt to kidnap him for ransom.

He has served 21 years of a 26-year sentence and was granted parole last month.

Mr Smith challenged the decision, but Supreme Court judge Robert Beech-Jones dismissed the appeal on Thursday.

He said in his decision that the State Parole Authority had correctly stated its reasons for granting parole and it did consider that Liew's deportation would effectively expunge the remaining five years of his sentence.

Liew's daughter has told AAP she was hopeful he would return home in time to walk her down the aisle when she marries on October 20.

She also apologised on behalf of her father and said her family has always lived in a "shadow" over the murder.

Liew has three adult children and will live with his wife and two sons.

Dr Chang's son has said through their advocate that Liew's release has devastated his family.

Liew and his co-offender Phillip Choon Tee Lim were sentenced to maximum terms of 26 years and 24 years, respectively, for the murder.

One of the pair dropped his wallet in the street where the shooting took place.

Liew had been in Australia just 14 months before committing the crime and learned about Dr Chang from a newspaper.

The co-accused Lim was granted parole after serving his minimum 18-year sentence, which expired in November 2009.

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