Police are still looking for a “dangerous” pensioner who was convicted of murdering an elderly woman and kidnapping and robbing a law student in the past 30 years.
Police are appealing for sightings of Bronwyn Warwick and say she is considered dangerous and should not be approached.
But a friend and ex-prison mate of Warwick’s, jailhouse lawyer Arthur Taylor, has described her as a “pretty intelligent” bone carver who was settling “quite well” in the community.
Taylor told the Herald he had known the 74-year-old Bronwyn Warwick since the ‘90s from his time in Paremoremo prison.
“Back in the ‘90s, she was still transitioning from being a man to a woman. I never saw her be violent during my time there with her. She was pretty intelligent and caused no problems, unlike some others who come in prison.”
Taylor had last been in touch with her on February 10, he said.
“She was normal and happy. She seems to have been settling well into the community. I mean, prisoners face challenges upon release, but nothing she couldn’t handle.
“Ex-prisoners don’t trust others easily. I don’t think she is dangerous. She is acting like any other who was being hunted and wants freedom.
“It is not like she has committed a crime, it is just for a parole recall. She was on life parole for life imprisonment - she must have thought she would be sent back to prison.”
Warwick is known to frequent Counties Manukau, but it is believed she may also have ties across the wider Auckland area.
She had racked up more than 132 convictions by 2010. Some involved very serious violent offending.
She was convicted and served a life sentence for murder in 1992 following the asphyxiation of an elderly woman who was bound during a house burglary.
In 2010, she was convicted of aggravated robbery and kidnapping and sentenced to a further four years and six months in jail.
In that incident, Warwick hitched a ride with a 25-year-old law student who picked her up at Huntly.
After the pair headed north towards Auckland, she threatened him with a knife.
“Not long after leaving the service station, you pulled a knife on the victim, pushing the point against his left side, near his kidney.
“You told him not to move and to keep driving or you would kill him.”
High Court sentencing notes detailed how Warwick directed him to a remote country spot where he was robbed of his valuables, including $5 in change, an Eftpos card, a cellphone and a laptop. Warwick then fled in the student’s car, which ended up badly damaged in a high-speed police chase.
In the sentencing notes, the judge said the episode had an impact on the victim in terms of his study and his career.
“The stress he suffered caused him to miss important exams. The loss of trust means that he will not, in the future, be picking up hitchhikers.”
The judge also revealed Warwick had suffered early personal circumstances that were regarded as “certainly rather tragic”.
“You had a difficult relationship with and felt a lack of interest and support from your parents.
“From an early age, you identified gender-dystonic feelings. You began dressing as a female at around age 12, which led to bullying at school.
“When you left school at 16, you began to associate with transvestite prostitutes and commenced work in the sex industry. You became involved with Class A drugs and amassed a substantial history of offending in relation to, and as a means of financing, your drug addiction.”
Warwick was sent to the Mt Eden Men’s Prison Special Needs Unit, with the judge saying Warwick had “suffered prolonged and severe physical and sexual violence from when you have served time in prison, and you suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result”.
Jailhouse lawyer Arthur Taylor says Brownyn Warwick is intelligent and he never saw her being violent. Photo / Dean Purcell
At a 2018 Parole Board hearing, it was revealed Warwick has had a number of releases on parole since 2002, but on each occasion had been recalled.
The Huntly aggravated robbery saw her return to jail for a further four and a half years.
She was released in 2016 and was further recalled for breaches in 2018.
Warwick was subject to a swathe of special conditions on her release, including an alcohol and drug ban and orders to not contact any victim of her offending, and not to move from an address without the approval of a probation officer.
She was also required to undergo drug and alcohol assessment and attend programmes as directed by a probation officer. It included attending an assessment and participating in a tikanga Māori programme - a culturally-responsive motivational programme for offenders who identify as Māori.
The Parole Board said Warwick had a long history of substance abuse, relapses and re-offending.
It was noted that she had not committed crimes since 2010 other than breaching her parole.
At the 2018 parole hearing, the panel heard substance abuse difficulties had arisen from a serious hip disability. However, that had been cured after replacement surgery.
As a result of the hip replacement, Warwick said she was pain-free for the first time in some years.
In recent times, her use of drugs had primarily been in search of pain relief. She said that she had not had any alcohol for approximately two years.
While the Parole Board said it was difficult to know whether what she said was true, they nonetheless agreed to her release from jail and did not regard her as an undue risk.
She was referred to a trial for long-term residence due to her unstable accommodation over the years.
“This is a significant advantage to Ms Warwick, and we think that it will also be significantly protective of her,” the Parole Board said.
“We encourage Ms Warwick and her probation officer to identify further treatment and counselling for alcohol and drugs, although we think there are reasons why Ms Warwick has been involved in drugs in recent times and those reasons have been identified above.
“She has a lifetime problem with alcohol and drugs, and further treatment can only reinforce the messages we hope that she has taken on board previously.”
Today, police said anyone who had further information on her whereabouts should contact police on 105, quoting file number 230315/5915.
Information can also be provided via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
