KEY POINTS:
After 18 long years, the family of convicted double murderer David Tamihere are preparing for his release - but they might have to wait a while longer. On Wednesday the Parole Board will consider Tamihere's sixth application for parole, but despite being a "model prisoner" his refusal to admit guilt or express remorse over the murders of Urban Hoglin and Heidi Paakkonen means he is unlikely to be released.
Tamihere had skipped bail for a 1986 rape and was on the run when the murders were committed. He also has a conviction for the 1972 manslaughter of an Auckland prostitute.
Kris Tamihere, Tamihere's partner of 32 years, did not want to speculate about the chances of the board granting parole, but Herald on Sunday sources said Tamihere, 54, was not overly confident about the prospect of being released from Auckland Prison at Paremoremo.
Despite suffering badly from arthritis, Tamihere would rather remain behind bars than confess to a crime he says he didn't commit, the source said.
Tamihere's family have been preparing for his eventual release for some time and earlier this year submitted to the board and Corrections a detailed proposal outlining their plans to help him reintegrate back into society.
That proposal has been studied by the board and will weigh into their considerations when Tamihere appears on Wednesday.
He was convicted of the murders in December 1990 and sentenced to life with a minimum non-parole period of 10 years. The tourists had last been seen holidaying in Coromandel 20 months earlier. The convicted murderer's appeals to the Court of Appeal and the Privy Council were unsuccessful.
Tamihere admitted stealing the couple's car and selling some of their personal effects. The prosecution claimed Tamihere stole Hoglin's watch and gave it to his son. Hoglin's body, with the watch, was discovered in October 1991 about 70km from where police said the murders occurred. As well as Tamihere, this week the Parole Board will also consider whether to grant parole to Peter Holdem, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1986 for the murder of Christchurch schoolgirl Louisa Damodran.
