Nathan Fenton, who beat his girlfriend to death with a shotgun in Whangārei 17 years ago, has been denied parole after the Parole Board found he was still at risk of re-offending.
Nathan Fenton, who beat his girlfriend to death with a shotgun in Whangārei 17 years ago, has been denied parole after the Parole Board found he was still at risk of re-offending.
A man who brutally beat his teenage girlfriend to death with a shotgun in Whangārei 17 years ago has been denied parole as he remains at risk of re-offending.
Nathan Charles Fenton, then aged 31 and a Black Power member, admitted to beating girlfriend Mairina Dunn, in a Holmes Ave, Otangarei house on August 27, 2006, and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years in the High Court at Whangārei on April 30, 2007.
Fenton killed Mairina during a vicious 90-minute attack with a sawn-off shotgun, believing she had been unfaithful to him. The beating left the shotgun barrel bent and the butt splintered.
He went up before the Parole Board for the first time on September 25, and it made the decision to deny him parole, and scheduled for him to go back before the board to seek parole in February 2025.
“For today, [the] risk remains undue and parole is declined,” the board said.
“In short, the victims are absolutely opposed to his release on parole. They believe that the whānau are serving the real life sentence. They referred to the inhumane violence that was involved with the crime and which they still think will be in Mr Fenton. They referred to his past history of violent offending [details of which were withheld in the decision]. If he is released on parole, they do not want Mr Fenton to be able to live in, or travel to, Auckland or Northland,” the decision said.
"Mr Fenton responded to our summary of what the victims’ views were. He said he understands fully where they are coming from and understands the words of the mother of the victim. He said that he apologises for what he has done and said that words cannot express how sorry he is. He said that he is no longer affiliated with the gang.
Whangārei teen Mairina Dunn was brutally murdered by her boyfriend Nathan Fenton in 2007 - Fenton has now been denied parole.
“Over the recent years in prison, Mr Fenton has had positive file notes. He is described as polite, respectful and compliant. The only issue over recent times was from November 2022 [the details of which were also withheld).
"The report tells us that Mr Fenton last committed violence in prison in 2012. He has done very well in terms of his rehabilitation. He completed the 12 month Drug Treatment Programme and the Special Treatment Unit for Violent Offenders. There is a good report regarding Mr Fenton’s involvement and progress in that treatment."
However, a psychological report from August 18 assessed him as having a very high risk of general re-offending and a medium risk of violent offending.
“He is said to have high re-integration needs. Because Mr Fenton has spent so long in prison, a re-integration pathway is supported by the psychologist, as well as a whānau hui.
The decision said Fenton does have support in the community and is motivated to be released into supported accommodation.
"However, Mr Fenton indicated today that he was not expecting to be released."
Fenton is open to restorative justice and going through that process if that is something the victims want to participate in.
“We agree with Mr Fenton that a sustained period of re-integration is important for him. It will test what he has learned in the treatment and ensure that he is able to maintain stable behaviour in a range of situations where he has more autonomy. It may be that he needs to transfer prisons to complete his reintegration pathway. That is because of the planned exclusion zones that have been sought by the victims which will require him to develop a release proposal away from both Auckland and Northland,” the board said.
