The mother of murdered three-year-old Kelly Anne Jones says she was shocked and distraught to discover the convicted killer claimed he dreamt about a new location where the child's body might be.
John William Bennett, is applying for the no body, no parole law to be waived, after serving 34 years of a life sentence for the murder of the child in 1989.
The Queensland Parole Board heard Mr Bennett had claimed he had started dreaming he had possibly left the girls' body at Ma Ma Creek near Toowoomba, 30 years after her death.
Kelly's mother Caroline Jones said she first heard about Mr Bennett's claims at the hearing at Brisbane Magistrates Court today.
Speaking after the hearing, Ms Jones said it was a "big shock, a total big shock" to hear the new location but urged authorities not to release Mr Bennet until Kelly's body was found.
"There has to be more, they can't stop, they've got to keep going until we find the body, and answers," she said.
"I hope they don't give up, it's just taken so long, it's the not knowing that's the hard part that I'm going through.
"I don't believe anything he says."
Parole application under special circumstances
Mr Bennett, 71, applied for parole in 2022, under special circumstances that his health is declining and he has multiple comorbidities.
Kelly Anne Jones' remains have never been found despite large scale searches of dumps and other locations near Toowoomba.
Mr Bennett had been staying in the same house as Kelly Anne Jones' aunt in Toowoomba, when they discovered the child and Mr Bennett were missing on September 24.
The search was focused on Mr Bennett as he was identified as being the last person to have contact with her, the parole board heard.
Two days later, police arrested Mr Bennett, after finding him asleep on the side of a road near his car in Cooyar. During interviews he admitted to killing the child.
Mr Bennett told police in interviews he had left Kelly's body in a hessian bag at a rubbish dump, but his memory of the location of the dump was poor because he had been intoxicated, barrister Sally Robb said.
'He thought the dreams were improving his memory'
But Ms Robb said Mr Bennett had disclosed in 2020 he had been having recurring dreams about the child's body being located at Ma Ma Creek.
"He said that he started having the dreams after 30 years and that he thought the dreams were improving his memory," she said.
After the claims, homicide detectives showed Mr Bennett a satellite image of the area taken in 1988, but he was unable to identify specific features of the location.
Detective Inspector Chris Knight, who prepared a report for the parole hearing, said he was not satisfied Mr Bennett's version about Ma Ma Creek could be advanced.
Ms Robb said there was no great congruence in the proximity between Ma Ma Creek and the areas searched in 1989.
"Although it is important to note that Mr Bennett did not identify those areas in 1989 with any great specificity or by reference to location," she said.
Mr Knight said he failed to acknowledge how any of the information provided by Mr Bennett could be considered significant or useful.
"The impact of the passage of time may have had on locating the deceased's remains cannot be quantified," he said.
The hearing was adjourned as written submissions are prepared for the Queensland Parole Board, which Mr Bennett will be given time to respond to.
The board will continue assessing his application, including whether Mr Bennett has satisfactorily cooperated to identify the location of the child's remains.
There have been more than 600 signatures on an online petition to prevent Mr Bennett's release.
