A notorious bank robber who terrorized South Australia with his crimes for a decade has committed suicide using a euthanasia kit (VAD), just two days after being sentenced to 35 years in prison for his crimes.
Kym Parsons, 73, robbed 11 banks between 2004 and 2014, armed with a rifle and wearing a balaclava.
Nicknamed the ‘Bicycle Bandit’, he evaded arrest for years until police arrested him last October.
He initially pleaded not guilty to the crimes, before suddenly turning heel on June 17 to admit to his crime.
On Monday, High Court Judge Sandi McDonald made her sentencing remarks, telling Parsons, who sat quietly in the dock from the remand centre, that his behavior was ‘morally reprehensible’.
“On your first day at ANZ Bank, in May 2004, you saw the fear in the eyes of your victims, and yet you went back and repeated that behavior again and again,” Judge McDonald said.
He pleaded guilty because he was given only a few weeks to live as cancer attacked his bones and brain.
NewsWire has confirmed that Parsons died at a facility near Flinders Medical Center at 12.15pm on Wednesday.
He was transferred from prison to the facility on Tuesday afternoon.
SA Health granted him access to VAD before his guilty plea and sentence, but would not reveal details of his case.
The ‘Bicycle Bandit’, Kym Allen Parsons (pictured), 73, took his own life after being convicted of his crimes
Parsons was sentenced to 35 years in prison for his robberies committed over a period of ten years
“We do not comment on individual applications submitted for a VAD permit to protect patient confidentiality,” an SA Health spokeswoman told NewsWire.
‘The legal eligibility criteria must be met to access the program, including having an advanced terminal illness.’
South Australia legalized the controversial procedure in 2021, which allows someone to commit suicide after meeting a set of eligibility criteria.
To qualify in South Australia, two independent doctors must assess whether a patient has a terminal condition and has less than six months to live.
There is no ban on prisoners accessing the proceedings.