Hawke's Bay man behind brutal killing of Wellington jogger taking steps towards release from prison

Margaret-Lynne Baxter who was killed in Flaxmere on January 21, 2001. Photo / File

The Hawke's Bay man behind the brutal killing of Wellington jogger Margaret Baxter will not be paroled this year.

Dartelle Maremare James Alder was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder, rape, abduction and unlawful sexual connection of Baxter near Flaxmere in 2001.

Alder did not seek parole but appeared before the board on January 17 where he agreed that he remained an undue risk.

Alder, who is now 42, was aged 23 when he ran Baxter down with his car as she was jogging on Stock Rd, in Flaxmere, Hastings.

Dartelle Alder in 2006. Photo / File

He then bundled her into the back seat, took her to an isolated property, sexually violated her, stabbed her at least 38 times with a knife and struck her repeatedly with a field tile.

Alder, who now has minimum security classification in prison, has been working towards a machinery qualification.

The board in January 2018, the last time he sought parole, noted that his earlier time in prison had been very difficult but that there had been significant improvement more recently.

He had undertaken a number of work-related qualifications and had commenced counselling.

The board said that he needed to do the Adult Sex Offender Treatment Programme (ASOTP) and after his rehabilitation was completed, move towards reintegration.

Chairman Ron Young said Alder has clearly made good progress in reducing his anxiety.

"He is working some 35 hours in the joinery and has reached stage 3 of the machinery qualifications, apparently the first person to do so while in prison," Young said.

"This ultimately should be of value to him in employment once he is released."

Young said Alder is assessed now as being of low-medium risk of re-offending.

Since the last board saw him in January 2018, he completed 27 one on one sessions with a psychologist. It has been proposed that a release plan and a reintegration plan be developed for him.

Alder accepted there was further reintegration work that was required of him.

Another matter that arose related to whether it was appropriate for Alder to be released to Hawke's Bay.

"It is not necessary for us to make a decision but we have pointed out that should place chosen, there are likely to be substantial pressures by way of publicity and perhaps anger in the local community that Mr Alder would be released to the very area where he committed this terrible crime," he said.

Alder will be seen by the parole board in 12 months time by the end of February 2021 with the hope that his reintegration has been significantly progressed.