Notorious paedophile who killed Samantha Knight was allowed to roam the streets on TWENTY separate occasions while serving his 17-year sentence - because he was a 'model prisoner' Michael Anthony Guider pleaded guilty in 2002 to killing Samantha Knight Notorious paedophile, 68, now claims he is not guilty of her manslaughter Guider, who was also jailed for abusing 13 kids, set to be released in just 11 days By Aap Published: 12:42 BST, 27 May 2019 | Updated: 12:42 BST, 27 May 2019 Viewcomments A notorious paedophile child killer was released on to the streets 20 times during his 17-year prison sentence for fatally drugging nine-year-old Samantha Knight. Michael Anthony Guider, 68, pleaded guilty in 2002 to the manslaughter of the young girl after she was last seen on a Bondi street in August 1986 - and is due for release in 11 days. The state government has begun a legal bid to keep him locked up and with a preliminary hearing on Monday being told he had been allowed 20 'day leaves' because he was a 'model prisoner.' Victims and their families in the gallery reacted in shock to the news. The former gardener and part-time babysitter, who was already serving sentences for abusing 13 children between 1980 and 1996, has never revealed where he dumped Samantha's body. Guider admitted killing Samantha to two prisoners in the late 1990s but didn't plead guilty until just before he was due to go on trial for her murder Michael Anthony Guider, 68, pleaded guilty in 2002 to the manslaughter of the young girl after she was last seen on a Bondi street in August 1986 The day leaves into the community were not under guard as he was only escorted by a chaplain and made to wear an electronic monitoring anklet. The NSW Supreme Court on Monday, hearing the last-ditch legal bid to keep him behind bars, was told Guider has gone back on his guilty plea and now claims he only admitted killing Samantha after pressure from police and others. 'He will deny it to his dying day,' Justice Richard Button said, quoting a recent medical report. Samantha's mother Tess Knight comforted another victim, Chantelle Daly, who had to leave the room after she 'fell apart' when he appeared via video-link from prison, according to The Daily Telegraph. Guider's barrister Matthew Johnston said the paedophile did not want to remain for the entire proceedings but should be released on an extremely strict supervision order, which would have dozens of conditions and force him to live at a halfway house next to Long Bay jail. The prison is eight kilometres from where Samantha Knight was last seen. 'He is a prisoner worthy of the next step of being tested under strict supervision,' Mr Johnston said. Samantha's mother Tess Knight (right) arrives at the NSW Supreme Court Building, Sydney, on Monday Ms Daly said outside court to hear that he had been released on day trips was 'the ultimate slap in the face' and he continues to be a threat. 'You're a prisoner for horrific crimes. You're in jail for committing the ultimate evil, you can't be a 'model prisoner'. It's a disgusting statement,' she said. According to his sentencing judge, Guider admitted killing Samantha to two prisoners in the late 1990s but didn't plead guilty until just before he was due to go on trial for her murder. David Kell, representing the State of NSW, said Guider's recent back-pedalling was inconsistent with what he told a psychiatrist ahead of his sentencing in 2002. That report also contained Guider's admission that he drugged his victims with sleeping pills to 'take happy snaps' of them for his later gratification. Mr Kell said the pedophile's 'chronic' history of abusing young girls and boys, often after endearing himself to their parents, presented a significant risk to the community. '(Even after Samantha's death) it did not cause the defendant to cease using the drug on other children,' he said. He argued Guider should not be released until at least August, when a decision is expected on whether he should be subject to continued detention. Samantha Knight's mother told reporters ahead of Monday's hearing that the community needed to be kept safe. 'We're not satisfied that he's safe for release in the community,' Tess Knight said. The hearing continues. Read more: Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility