Apology over Williams case

The Corrections Department has apologised to the father of murdered schoolgirl Coral Burrows after a miscommunication led to him missing Stephen Williams’ sentencing last week.

Ron Burrows’ daughter was murdered by Williams in 2003.

Williams beat the 6-year-old to death before leaving her body on the shores of Lake Ferry in Wairarapa.

While serving a life sentence for her murder, Williams, 45, has been charged three times for serious prison assaults.

Burrows was expecting Corrections staff to call and inform him of when Williams’ sentencing was taking place.

Instead, Corrections sent him an email that went to his spam folder.

The first he heard that Williams had been sentenced on Friday to preventive detention was when a journalist from Stuff contacted him.

Seeing Williams’ face in the media on Friday caught his family unaware, and left them in a state of shock, Burrows said.

‘‘When I was watching him on the television, I turned back and saw my son had gone. I found him in his room sobbing.

‘‘I realise now that Corrections are allowing [Williams] to hurt my children who are still alive. This has to stop.’’

A department representative had since contacted Burrows to explain the bungle and apologise.

Previously, Corrections had failed to inform Burrows – who is a registered victim – of Williams’ most recent assault. Instead, Burrows found out via the media.

Not knowing when Williams was going to be sentenced had robbed him of the opportunity to look him in the eye, Burrows said.

‘‘I really need to be able to confront him. I need to do it for me, Coral and my children. He is a coward. A gutless, poor excuse for a human.’’

The director of Rimutaka and Arohata prisons, Viv Whelan, told Stuff she had called Burrows herself to apologise.

Burrows’ family would be kept up to date with William’s management inside Auckland Prison, Whelan added.