Father of slain teen Connor Boyd ‘disgusted’ at decision to parole man jailed for manslaughter after running 18yo down

The father of an 18-year-old who was run over and killed outside an Auckland Central nightclub over “pointless teen drama” is “absolutely disgusted” the young driver will be paroled early next year.

Connor Cole Boyd was killed after he fell from the side of a Toyota Hilux on Customs St in April 2022. In the course of the violent tumble, Boyd was run over by the same vehicle and left on the pavement as it drove away. He suffered an unsurvivable head injury.

CCTV footage of the incident showed the driver of the vehicle, William Grace, and female defendant, Kaiya Shute, both grabbed Boyd and started to drive off.

Grace was sentenced to two-and-a-half years’ imprisonment in February and his former girlfriend, Shute, received a sentence of two years and two months’ imprisonment.

Grace appeared before the Parole Board for the first time today, where Parole Board chairman Sir Ron Young granted parole, with the now 22-year-old set to be released and continue his sentence in the community on January 20, 2025.

Co-defendants Kaiya Shute and William Grace appear in the dock during their manslaughter trial in the High Court at Auckland. Photo / Dean Purcell

“Mr Grace you’ll appreciate this is a very difficult decision,” Young told Grace at the conclusion of the hearing, Stuff reported.

“This will not be a joyous occasion for the parents and family of this boy. Just remember that.”

Speaking to the Herald following the hearing, Boyd’s father, John Boyd, said it was an “absolutely disgusting outcome”.

“It’s absolutely disgusting that the main offender will be released on parole and the secondary offender was denied parole,” Boyd said.

“This individual was a supposed friend of my son and had known him for a long period of time.”

Boyd said he still believed his son was murdered and voiced his disgust at the “New Zealand injustice system”.

Connor Boyd, 18, died in April 2022 after he was run over in Central Auckland.

“The time that they were given for killing a human being was totally disgusting, the reductions in sentencing that they got was totally disgusting. In other countries in the world, justice is swift, but in New Zealand it is not. There is no justice in New Zealand.”

He said it was a “total sham” that Grace would only serve a third of his 30-month sentence in prison.

A Parole Board spokesperson told the Herald there is to be a monitoring hearing in June 2025.

“The Board did set conditions for Mr Grace’s release. These conditions will apply for six months after Mr Grace’s statutory release date of 13 August 2026,” the spokesperson said.

Stuff reported that Grace told today’s hearing he fully regrets what he did and how Boyd’s family may feel at the prospect of him being paroled.

“I understand the devastation caused...I am fully sorry for my actions that caused this terrible event.

“No amount of time will make up for what’s happened,” Grace said.

He said he regretted not stopping after Boyd fell.

“I know that would have been the best option as well. I should have stopped immediately and done what I could to help.”

He told the Board he’d learned how to stop emotions developing into something bad while in prison.

Conditions of his release included not going south of an east-west line along the southern edge of the Auckland Harbour, Stuff reported. He will also be subject to electronic monitoring, a curfew between 10pm and 6am and is not to consume drugs and alcohol.

‘Pointless teen drama’ caused Boyd’s death

During their trial last October, prosecutors said it was nothing more than “pointless teen drama” that prompted Grace and Shute to grab Boyd’s arm and drive off as he stood beside their SUV outside a Britomart nightclub. He jumped onto the runnerboard of the vehicle to avoid being dragged but fell into the street a short distance later, suffering a catastrophic head injury.

Grace, who was driving, claimed he feared for his and his passengers’ safety after Boyd voiced a threat through the open window and allegedly started throwing punches. Shute, meanwhile, testified that she never grabbed Boyd’s arm and was in shock when her co-defendant did so.

Grace continued driving. Seven minutes later, Shute called 111, saying “some dude tried to f... up my boyfriend”.

But jurors, who repeatedly watched horrific CCTV footage of the tumble, didn’t buy the defence and neither did the sentencing judge. The incident occurred after a night of drinking and “aggressive bullying”, Justice Ian Gault noted during the duo’s sentencing hearing in February.

“He was outnumbered by you and your friends and did not demonstrate any physical aggression towards you,” Gault told Shute. “Were it not for your animus to Mr Boyd through that night, coupled with your assistance to Mr Grace in the vehicle, Mr Boyd’s death would not have resulted.”

Shute was declined parole in November and is set to appear in front of the Board in April.

Benjamin Plummer is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He has worked for the Herald since 2022.

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