One of New South Wales’ most dangerous inmates, Rebecca Butterfield, is on track to be freed, despite a violent past that includes stabbing her cellmate 33 times.
Who is she and how soon could she be out? Let’s find out on today’s LiSTNR Crime Shakedown.
Butterfield has been behind bars since 2003. She was imprisoned for violent and unpredictable attacks, including stabbing her taxi driver and a few year later, her neighbour. But it’s 114 reported incidents while in custody that’s kept her locked up.
A Sunday Telegraph investigation reports last year she was transferred to this forensic mental health facility, and in 2024, the court heard the end goal was for Butterfield to live in an NDIS-funded home.
She’s been kept in custody under special detention laws because of repeated violent outbursts. We’re talking assaults on guards, nurses, and other inmates.
But now, psychiatric experts say she could be released, with supervised day trips already happening as part of her reintegration into society.
The Telegraph reports that officers working with Butterfield say she can go from calm to explosive in seconds. Yet legally, it’s not up to them. It’s up to mental health assessments and the courts.
So the big question: should someone with this history ever be freed, or does continuing detention go too far?
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