KEY POINTS:
Double killer Rufus Marsh has been denied parole for at least the fifth time, with the Parole Board being told he is still at high risk of reoffending.
Marsh, 51, has more than 25 convictions including the 1986 murder of Wellington woman Diane Miller and the manslaughter an elderly man he kicked to death in 1975. He has spent just 18 months out of prison since the age of 14.
Marsh has been eligible to be considered for parole since 1997 after serving the minimum 10 years for Ms Miller's death. Since then he has had at least five parole hearings, the Dominion Post reported.
In the latest dismissal, the Parole Board was told Marsh remained at high risk of reoffending.
He had been recommended for an adult sex offenders' treatment programme at another prison, but did not want to move because of his new partner and the support he had at his current prison.
"Our business is with the safety to the community...not with the comfort or convenience of prisoners," the Parole Board said.
It noted Marsh had made good progress. He is in a self-care unit and has been recommended for work parole and home leaves. Those decisions would be up to the Corrections Department, the board said.
Marsh has a long history of offending, with convictions for attempted rape, aggravated robbery, and assaulting two prison staff with a weapon made from razor blades, in addition to the murder and manslaughter convictions.
Crown prosecutor Jim Larson, who prosecuted Marsh for both killings, said he expected to prosecute Marsh for murder again before he died or retired. Mr Larson died in 1989, but before that had written to the board asking that it never free Marsh.
- NZPA
