Rapist, killer to stay behind bars
The man who raped and killed Owaka teen Kylie Smith ‘‘could not be bothered’’ attending his latest parole hearing.
Paul David Bailey, 51, was to appear before the New Zealand Parole Board on August 23, but decided not to appear or be represented by a lawyer.
The board noted Bailey had a ‘‘complete lack of commitment to change’’, and he would not be eligible for parole for five years.
Bailey has spent 25 years in custody for the murder of Smith, 15, on November 1, 1991.
On that day, he forced the teen into a car before driving to a remote spot, where he raped her and shot her as she dressed.
The board noted Bailey ‘‘has been convicted of terrible crimes against a range of victims’’.
Bailey had completed a rehabilitation course for child sex offenders but had left the graduates’ group.
He was on a waiting list to undertake an extended period of individual psychological treatment, which could take two years.
That, coupled with a possible release plan, meant ‘‘this process will take at least four years, if not longer’’, the board noted.
Because of his circumstances, a postponement order of the maximum duration, five years from the date that parole was last declined (April 27, 2016), will be in place until April 26, 2021.