Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE starting June 12 2026

No special food for Judy Moran in Vic jail

Underworld figure Judy Moran will not be moved back to open-style accommodation in prison, a Victorian court has ruled.

Judy Moran
Underworld figure Judy Moran has lost her bid to be moved to open-style accommodation in prison. (AAP)

Gangland matriarch Judy Moran will continue to eat regular prison food after losing a bid for transfer back to the cottage-style accommodation where she can cook for herself.

The 71-year-old was in April moved against her will from the open-style Margaret Unit to a single prison cell amid claims she was "exercising an unhealthy level of influence" over some prisoners at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre.

She took the Department of Justice and Corrections Victoria to the Supreme Court of Victoria last month, fighting to be moved back to her more comfortable accommodation.

One argument was that Moran, who uses a wheelchair and has health issues, wasn't receiving her medically required "low fat, more vegetable and fibre diet" from the standard prison kitchen.

Justice Michael McDonald on Monday dismissed Moran's application, saying the decision to transfer her was administrative.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

He also said Moran's need for a special diet did not necessarily mean she had to live in the Margaret Unit.

Moran was in 2011 sentenced to a minimum 21 years in prison for arranging the murder of her brother-in-law Des Moran.

She was initially placed in the Margaret Unit, where prisoners prepare their own food and do their own cleaning.

Corrections Victoria lawyer Liam Brown last month said authorities moved Moran after she failed to report a prison knife incident between two inmates.

Prison correspondence also alleged Moran told inmates she was "well connected".

But Moran's lawyer Rachel Walsh argued Moran, who denies the allegations, never had a chance to address the claims and should have been allowed to do so.

Justice McDonald said it was the prison's decision where Moran was to be housed.

"The fact that Ms Moran was not given an opportunity to respond to allegations prior to the transfer does not mean that there was no power to transfer her from the Margaret Unit," he said in his judgment.

Moran has been ordered to pay the department's legal costs.

Draped in a pink shawl, she watched the judgment via a video link from prison.


2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world