Court refuses to hear Beast of Blenheim appeal

The Court of Appeal has dismissed another release bid by Stuart Murray Wilson - the sex offender who became known as the Beast of Blenheim.

In a decision released yesterday, the court said it had no jurisdiction to consider an application for bail and even if it did it would not have granted bail as Wilson was convicted of extremely serious offending.

Wilson was convicted in 1996 for sex offending involving women and girls over a period of 25 years.

The charges included rape, bestiality, stupefying, ill-treatment of children and indecent assault. He was sentenced to 21 years' jail.

He was refused parole in December last year, and again in June. Another Parole Board hearing was held this week and its decision may be released next month.

In the last two years, two High Court decisions have found against his efforts for an early release.

Wilson, now 63, has spent 15 years in prison. He has served two thirds of his sentence and could have been released last year. However, after a request from the Corrections Department to the Parole Board, he will not be released until September 1, 2012.

Wilson sought an internal review of the board's decision not to release him until 2012. That was dismissed by a High Court and he is now taking it to the Court of Appeal as a separate matter to the failed bail application.

He contends that his appeal is a civil case rather than a criminal one, which the Court of Appeal yesterday said was an important question it had not considered before.

The substantive appeal and the question of civil or criminal jurisdiction will be heard on March 23.

- NZPA