Were these missing women victims of Ivan Milat in the 1970's?

Were these women victims of Ivan Milat in the 1970's?

Convicted serial killer Ivan Milat has reportedly been diagnosed with terminal cancer after doctors found several lumps found in his stomach and throat.

It is unlikely he would ever return to Goulburn Correctional Centre, the ABC and 7News reported last night.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that the the 74-year-old would undergo a medical procedure in a Sydney hospital after being transferred from Australia’s toughest jail.

After a series of hunger strikes in prison over the past decade, it is understood Milat is suffering health problems due to his extreme weight loss.

A spokeswoman for NSW Corrective Services could not confirm what procedure the killer was undergoing at the hospital for privacy reasons.

Milat’s nephew Alistair Shipsey said his uncle was ­undergoing a battery of tests and would probably need an ­operation.

He told The Daily Telegraph that the serial killer has lost 20kg in two months and can’t keep his food down after a number of hunger strikes over the past decade.

It is understood he was transferred to the Prince of Wales Hospital in Randwick on Monday afternoon and is being held in a secure annex of the hospital where inmates are treated.

Milat has previously needed hospital treatment while in prison.

In 2001, Milat had injured himself swallowing metal objects, including razors and staples, while in 2009, he cut off his pinky finger with a plastic knife, supposedly with the intention of posting it to the High Court.

He was transferred, under high-security, to Goulburn Hospital, where doctors determined the finger could not be surgically reattached.

In 2011, in a dramatic attempt to be given a PlayStation, the murderer lost 25 kilos on a hunger strike.

The 74-year-old murdered seven backpackers whose bodies were found in makeshift graves in NSW’s Belanglo State Forest in the 1990s, was sentenced in 1996 to seven consecutive life sentences.

The former road worker also kidnapped British tourist Paul Onions but he managed to escape from Milat’s vehicle.

Corrective Services NSW Commissioner Peter Severin told the Seven Network the community could rest assured transfers were done in the “most secure and safe way possible”.

High-risk and terrorism-related inmates are always guarded by specialist staff from the Extreme High-Security Escort Unit who control all movements and interactions, a Corrective Services NSW spokeswoman said.

“Extensive security planning and assessment is undertaken before such movements occur,” the spokeswoman said in a statement on Tuesday.

Inmates are searched before they leave prison and when they return, she said. At least one form of restraint, handcuffs or ankle cuffs, stay on high-risk inmates during medical treatment, subject to medical requirements.

“These procedures ensure community safety and security,” the spokeswoman said.