Karla Cardno’s killer stays 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.
Dally appeared before the Parole Board earlier this month which was chaired by Sir Ron Young.
The decision, released to Stuff yesterday, noted 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.
This would allow him the opportunity to show he is able to look after himself while still behind the wire.
‘‘In the meantime, we think a further risk assessment would be appropriately undertaken given the last risk assessments appear to have been some five years ago,’’ the report noted.
Dally, who is currently on a minimum security rating, did not seek parole and 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.
After an emotional trial that attracted huge media coverage, Middleton was given a nine-month jail sentence which was suspended for two years.