Killer leaving jail for classes
Teen who stabbed dairy owner to death given regular releases for school
The teenager jailed for six years after he stabbed a West Auckland dairy owner to death has been granted regular releases from jail to attend school lessons.
The Herald can also reveal he has been granted further release to visit his seriously ill sister.
The teenager was 14 when he was found guilty of the manslaughter of Arun Kumar at the Railside Dairy in Henderson.
Kumar was fatally stabbed in his dairy on Railside Ave in Henderson on June 10, 2014.
The teenager was found not guilty of the more serious charge of murdering the father of two after a lengthy trial in the High Court at Auckland.
He was sentenced to six years in prison by Justice Graham Lang, and granted permanent name suppression.
A second teenager, aged 13 at the time of Kumar’s death, was found not guilty of manslaughter and was also granted name suppression.
The Herald has learned that the jailed teen has been leaving the Corrections facility where he is serving his sentence to attend school.
For legal reasons, the specific details of where and when he is studying cannot be published.
It is understood the lessons are considered part of his rehabilitation.
A source close to the teen’s family said he had also been permitted to leave the facility regularly to visit his sister.
The Herald cannot reveal any further details about the killer’s sister, her illness or where the visits are taking place.
“He is being brought out to visit his sister . . . she is dying,” the source said.
“She is pretty bad and they are close.”
The Herald requested information from the Department of Corrections about how often the teen was being released and what supervision and monitoring was in place.
They would not be drawn on the details.
“We can’t comment for privacy and security reasons,” a spokeswoman said.
The Parole Board also refused to comment when asked if the teenager had been before it seeking early release from prison.
“The board is withholding any and all Parole Board Hearing Outcomes for this offender under section 9(2)(a) of the Official Information Act — ‘to protect the privacy of any person’— as we believe, particularly given the age of the offender, considerations around the offender and rehabilitation and also registered victims outweigh any public right to know.”
Kumar died after the teenager stabbed him in the neck.
At the time, his 13-year-old coaccused was standing outside with a metal pole.
At their trial, defence lawyers for the boys detailed their backgrounds and the psychologically debilitating effects they had had on them.