Karla Cardno’s killer to stay in jail for now
Paul Joseph Dally – the man who abducted, raped and murdered Karla Cardno – has been denied parole.
In a decision released yesterday, the Parole Board ruled Dally, 58, will have to spend another 18 months behind bars before he can be assessed for release.
However, the board indicated that Dally had made ‘‘significant progress’’ and is inching towards freedom.
Dally snatched 13-year-old Karla as she was cycling down a street in
Taita, Lower Hutt, on her way home from the nearby dairy in May 1989.
He raped and tortured her at his nearby house for 22 hours, while her family searched for her.
He then drove Karla to the Pencarrow coast, south of Eastbourne, where he tied her hands together, bludgeoned her skull with a piece of driftwood, and buried her alive in a shallow grave in the sand.
Her body was not found until weeks later. Dally has since admitted he enjoyed the crime.
Earlier this month, Dally appeared before the Parole Board, chaired by Sir Ron Young.
The decision, released to Stuff yesterday, said Dally had made ‘‘significant progress’’ while in Auckland Prison. ‘‘He is a leading hand in the nursery,’’ the report noted.
A psychological report recommended that Dally to be transferred to a prison where he can go into a self-care unit. He did not seek parole and the report noted there was ‘‘significant reintegration work’’ required.
Earlier this week, Karla’s stepfather Mark Middleton told Stuff he would like Dally released so he could confront him face to face but warned it may not end well. Middleton was previously convicted for threatening to kill Dally in 2001.