‘Bicycle Bandit’ bank robber Kym Parsons dies after voluntary assisted dying
A notorious bank robber who terrorised South Australia over a 10-year crime spree has taken his own life through a voluntary assisted dying kit just two days after he was sentenced to 35 years in prison for his crimes.
Kym Parsons, 73, robbed 11 banks from 2004-2014, armed with a rifle and wearing a balaclava.
Nicknamed the “Bicycle Bandit”, he evaded capture for years until the police arrested him October last year.
He originally pleaded not guilty to the crimes, before turning suddenly to admit to his crime spree on June 17.
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On June 24, Supreme Court Justice Sandi McDonald delivered her sentencing remarks, telling Parsons, who sat quietly in the dock from the remand centre, his conduct was “morally reprehensible”.
‘Bicycle Bandit’ Kym Allen Parsons has died. NewsWire / Kelly Barnes Credit: News Corp Australia
“On the first day at the ANZ Bank, in May 2004, you saw the terror in your victims’ eyes, and yet you went back and repeated that conduct, over and over again,” Justice McDonald said.
He pleaded guilty with just weeks left to live as cancer corroded his bones and brain.
SA Health granted him access to VAD before his guilty plea and sentence.
South Australia legalised the controversial procedure, which permits someone to take their own life after meeting a sweep of eligibility criteria, in 2021.
NewsWire has confirmed Parsons died early Wednesday afternoon at a facility near the Flinders Medical Centre.
To be eligible for VAD in South Australia, two independent doctors must assess a patient to have a terminal condition with less than six months left to live.
There are no prohibitions on prisoners accessing the procedure.
mental health support