KEY POINTS:
A notorious child killer is to be kept behind bars after the Parole Board today refused to release him.
Peter Joseph Holdem, 53, abducted 6-year-old Louisa Damodran from a Christchurch street as she walked home from school 21-years-ago.
He allegedly molested her, gagged her and threw her into a river, where she drowned. Holdem already had a history of sexual offending against children.
Today the Parole Board said he is still a danger to the community and must stay in jail.
It said in its decision into his case: "The psychological report we have received shows him still at being at high risk of sexual and violent offending."
It added: "He has had a number of interventions over the years but nothing which has diminished his risk of reoffending. In short, nothing has changed since he was last seen by the Parole Board."
When Holdem last appeared before the Parole Board seeking his freedom in September 2004, he was also declined because he continued to pose a high risk to the community and was resisting treatment.
Louisa's mother, Aynsley Harwood, told the Herald earlier this week that Holdem was driven to hurt children and prison was the only place for him.
"He will just have to stay there, otherwise children are in danger. It's the responsibility of every New Zealander to make sure people like Peter Holdem don't go around hurting children. I personally feel Louisa would have wanted to protect other children," she said.
- NZ HERALD STAFF
