A notorious bank robber who gained national notoriety after committing a string of armed robberies over a decade is reportedly on the verge of fulfilling his dying wish to commit legal suicide.
The ‘Bicycle Bandit’, Kym Allen Parsons, 73, is in a health facility near the Flinders Medical Center in Adelaide, where he is expected to end his life with a South Australia Health-approved voluntary assisted dying (VAD).
The development comes a day after Supreme Court Justice Sandi McDonald sentenced Parsons to 35 years in prison for his “morally reprehensible” actions.
Parsons was originally scheduled to be sentenced next Friday, but the hearing was moved forward four days because Parsons is seriously ill with advanced terminal cancer and is expected to die within days.
Parsons was reportedly transferred in a white corrections van from the Adelaide Remand Center to hospital, where he was surrounded by loved ones on Tuesday evening. Nine news reported.
Authorities remained tight-lipped for security reasons.
After years of denials, Parsons finally pleaded guilty this month to 10 counts of armed robbery, one count of attempted armed robbery and firearms charges for crimes committed between 2004 and 2014.
He tearfully read a statement in which he admitted to being the masked bandit and promised to pay back the fine. He stole $358,976.90, attributing his actions to “illogical and irrational” thinking.
The ‘Bicycle Bandit’, Kym Allen Parsons (pictured), 73, is in a health facility near Flinders Medical Center where he is expected to end his life with an SA Health-approved voluntary assisted dying kit
The development comes just days after Parsons, a former police officer and firefighter, was handed a 35-year prison sentence for his robberies
But his lawyer’s pleas for mercy did not resonate with some of his victims.
One of the traumatized victims of Parsons’ rampage called for him to spend the rest of his life behind bars, saying if he didn’t he would ‘get away with it’.
The former bank employee, who has stage four cancer and may have less than a year to live, said Parsons should spend the rest of his life, however short it was, behind bars.
“People can say I’m inhuman, I don’t care… the law is the law, a punishment is a punishment, and he must be held accountable,” she told police. Advertiser.
“He did it wrong and not just once… it was ten bloody times, almost eleven… he is where he belongs, and he shouldn’t have access to his VAD kit while he was there.
“Parsons has pleaded guilty, but he’s not going to serve out his term… if he has his equipment, then he has a way to give himself a way out and basically get away with it.”
Parsons robbed banks by parking a bicycle outside and walking inside with his face hidden by a helmet or balaclava
If the teller did not pass the money, Parsons would become more threatening and occasionally fire shots
Parsons was first caught on bank security cameras in the South Australian town of Mannum in 2004, and he robbed 10 banks in the state over the next five years before disappearing from view.
In 2011, it is believed the same man suddenly reappeared robbing banks in Sydney.
He cycled to the branch he wanted to rob, parked his bicycle in front of the door – sometimes even taking it inside – and entered the bank wearing sunglasses, a bicycle helmet or a hat to hide his face.
Once at the counter, he pointed the gun, usually a semi-automatic rifle in the style of a Russian AK-47, at the bank teller and handed over the bag to fill.
If these demands were not met, he would become increasingly threatening and shoot at least three times.
During a 2008 Balaklava robbery, Parsons used the rifle to threaten a police officer who responded to the robbery alarm.
In total, Parsons stole about $358,000 during his decade-long crime spree.
Judge McDonald said some of Parsons’ victims had suffered trauma and PTSD from his actions.
“It is important at sentencing that there is a public condemnation of your conduct,” she told Parsons on Monday.
She said she could see ‘no real explanation’ for his crimes, but accepted his guilty plea was out of ‘remorse’.
“You made the choice to try to atone for your behavior in some way by pleading guilty.
“You have tried to give your victims answers, some closure, in circumstances where in all likelihood you would have died long before there was any real prospect of a trial.”
South Australia passed VAD laws in 2021 and eligible patients with terminal illnesses have had access to the procedure since 2023. The procedure is available to prisoners.