200 Christmas cards for killer

"It has made us more determined to go out and get more support." Bob Osborne, protest organiser

Convicted killer Scott Watson will be getting more than 200 Christmas cards from his supporters, who have staged protests against his incarceration.

Watson, who was jailed in 1999 for a minimum of 17 years for killing Olivia Hope and Ben Smart in the Marlborough Sounds in 1998, was denied parole when he appeared before the Parole Board in Christchurch earlier this month.

Protests were held on Saturday claiming the innocence of the convicted murderer.

A rolling picket was held between Palmerston North and Wellington, and organiser Bob Osborne said it had gone well.

Protesters had been collecting Christmas cards recently and had amassed about 200 across the country, he said.

They were filled with messages of support and would be forwarded on to Watson.

Watson was denied parole as his risk of violent recidivism was ‘‘very high’’.

The Parole Board said Watson had ‘‘considerably more work to do’’ before he would no longer pose an undue risk. He will be reconsidered for parole in four years.

Osborne said he had not had time to fully look into the Parole Board’s decision, but said it was ‘‘gut-wrenching’’.

‘‘It has made us more determined to go out and get more support.’’

Osborne said about 12 people showed up to the start of the protest, at The Square in Palmerston North, and about 12 had showed up at the Wellington railway station for its finish.

The protest was being held to raise awareness of the case, he said.

It was also a chance to push a petition to the Government for an inquiry into the case, he said.

Osborne said none of the evidence against Watson had stood the test of time.

‘‘No-one saw Ben and Olivia with Scott or near his boat. They got dropped off at a mystery ketch with a man that was not Scott. It does not add up at all. The more you look into it, the more obvious that is.’’

Gerald Hope, father of Olivia, met with Watson recently and said he was not convinced of his innocence.

Osborne said he did not want to judge Gerald Hope on ‘‘something he said in the spur of the moment’’.