Convicted killer Patea released on parole
CONVICTED killer Nelson Patea has wasted no time letting people know he has been released from prison.
Patea, who has been in custody since May 2016, was released from Woodford Correctional Centre on parole on Monday.
He was sentenced to eight years' prison in 2018 for the manslaughter of pool builder Greg Dufty.
He was part of a group which beat Mr Dufty to death in the Gold Coast Hinterland in July 2015.
Mr Dufty's body has never been found.
Patea on Monday posted on social media a photo of himself smiling and wearing a white shirt while standing next to a car.
"Back on the streets," he wrote.
Friends welcomed him back and congratulated him on his release.
His solicitor Campbell MacCallum, of Moloney MacCallum Abdelshahied Lawyers, said while on parole Patea, 24, will have to comply with a number of conditions, including wearing a GPS tracking bracelet and a 9pm curfew.
Patea will be living with his parents and working as a plumber in a family business.
Former bikie enforcer Lionel Patea bludgeoned the girl's mother, Tara Brown, to death with a fire hydrant cover in September 2015. In 2017, he pleaded guilty to her murder.
A year later he admitted to being part of a group that beat Mr Dufty to death.
Lionel Patea is not eligible for release from prison until 2048.
Previous applications for Nelson Patea to get parole were refused because he was accused of standing over other prisoners and taking drugs.
Mr MacCallum described Nelson Patea as "a delightful young man".
It is understood that during recent months in jail, Nelson Patea had a job in prison workshops and had taken part in mentoring, fitness and anti-violence courses. He had also been a part of the RSPCA dog fostering program, in which he cared for an abused dog and helped prepare it for adoption.
