The face of convicted Snowtown killer James Vlassakis has been publicly revealed for the first time in more than 26 years after an Australian court lifted a long-standing suppression order protecting his identity image.

According to 9NEWS, the secrecy order was removed following a successful legal application by the broadcaster, allowing media outlets to publish Vlassakis’ image linked to one of Australia’s most notorious murder cases. Vlassakis, now aged 46, pleaded guilty to four murders connected to the Snowtown killings in South Australia during the 1990s. He was sentenced at the age of 19 and has spent more than two decades behind bars.

The Snowtown murders shocked Australia after police discovered several dismembered bodies hidden inside barrels in an abandoned bank vault in Snowtown in 1999. Additional remains connected to the killings were later found in other locations near Adelaide.

According to 9NEWS, South Australian victims’ rights commissioner Sarah Quick said some victims’ families supported the release of Vlassakis’ image despite concerns it could be distressing.

Vlassakis appeared in court through a video link as he continues challenging decisions surrounding his parole. He was initially granted parole last year after completing a 26-year non-parole period, but the decision was later overturned following legal action by South Australia’s attorney-general. Court proceedings previously heard that Vlassakis cooperated with authorities and gave evidence against fellow convicted killers John Bunting and Robert Wagner.

Earlier findings also indicated that Vlassakis had been manipulated by Bunting into participating in several murders, including the killings of members of his own family. The Snowtown murders remain one of the darkest criminal cases in Australian history because of the brutality of the crimes and the discovery of bodies concealed inside barrels in the abandoned vault.