Barlow's wife confident of return

Convicted double killer John Barlow has again been refused parole but his wife is confident he will be home in six months.

Barlow, 64, was convicted in 1995 of the execution-style killings of Wellington father and son businessmen Eugene and Gene Thomas the previous year.

He was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum non-parole period of 14 years after being convicted in a rare third trial, but maintained his innocence.

The latest parole rejection was his third, with the Parole Board saying he still posed a risk to the community.

Although Barlow had consistently been assessed as being at low risk of reoffending, the board had three particular reservations about his release -- that he had traded items in prison, his attitude towards the victims' families "showed a complete lack of understanding of their predicament", and his attitude toward guns.

Although Barlow was assessed as low-risk, the board was concerned he had not been tested enough outside prison.

His involvement in a community work gang and his one home leave had not been sufficient to expose him to the reality of life outside the wire or "enabled him to formulate appropriate responses to challenging situations", the board said.

Barlow's wife, Angela, said her husband had not been granted the releases the Parole Board recommended a year ago, but his one home visit was a success.

"It was almost as if those 15 years melted away and he'd never left," she told the Dominion Post.

Several temporary releases were scheduled in the near future, with Barlow due to be seen again by the board in six months.

"We're as confident as we can be that he'll be out then," Mrs Barlow said.

The Parole Board must free prisoners if they have served their full sentences and do not pose an undue risk to the safety of the community.

The Barlows' daughter Keryn, who has an honours degree in criminology, has written a book about the case, which her mother said could be released in six months.

- NZPA