Killer faces lifetime in jail

William Bell faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison for brutally murdering three people at the Wellington-Panmure Returned Services Association clubrooms.

The 25-year-old's life sentence with a minimum non-parole period of 33 years is the longest fixed-term sentence imposed by a court in New Zealand legal history.

Bell was convicted last year in the High Court at Auckland of murdering RSA club president William Absolum, 63, club member Wayne Johnson, 56, and cleaner Mary Hobson.

He was also found guilty of the attempted murder of survivor Susan Couch.

His associate, Darnell Tupe, 24, was convicted on three charges of manslaughter, and one of aggravated robbery but was found not guilty of attempted murder.

Yesterday, on his 24th birthday, Tupe was sent to prison for 12 years on three manslaughter charges with a minimum non-parole period of seven years.

After the sentencing yesterday, Crown prosecutor Simon Moore, who sought a minimum non-parole period of 30 years, said Bell would not even be considered for release until he had served 33 years.

But the Parole Board then had to consider his future and he might never get out.

"One suspects this is life imprisonment for life," Mr Moore said.

The 33-year non-parole period drew gasps from the public gallery when Justice Judith Potter imposed it.

She said Bell acted in an utterly callous and indifferent way. None of the three would have died instantly.

"All would have suffered immeasurably during the period that Bell battered and bludgeoned the life out of them," she said,

Bell had shown no remorse over the crime, which the judge said was not a botched robbery.

"It was planned, and included the elimination of witnesses who could identify him," the judge said.

Bell was armed with a shotgun when he and Tupe arrived at the clubrooms on December 8, 2001, intent on robbing it of the cash taken in the bar the night before.

Tupe sat in the car outside as Bell hid the shotgun and persuaded part-time accountant Susan Couch to unlock the door.

Within minutes, Ms Couch had been beaten so badly she was barely alive. Mr Absolum, Mr Johnson and Mrs Hobson were dead.

Mr Johnson was shot at close range, and all three died from head injuries.

The police officer who headed the inquiry, Detective Inspector Gavin Jones, said he accepted expert opinion that Bell was a true psychopath, who enjoyed killing.

He said the crimes were horrific.

"There is no other word for it," Mr Jones said.

He said the sentence should send a strong deterrent message to the community.

Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Pearson said that since the killings, Bell had refused to take any blame and had continued to blame others.

"All his 33 years does is protect other New Zealanders from him," Mr Pearson said.

"It doesn't bring back any victims. The families are still in shock and they are finding it very a difficult."

Justice Potter said Tupe's level of criminality, while serious, was clearly less than that of Bell.

"Bell was the mastermind, Tupe went along with it.

"Bell needed a partner in crime and Tupe agreed to fulfil that role."

She said Tupe knew Bell had a gun and knew there was a possibility someone could be hurt.

"He cannot escape the extreme seriousness of what followed by hiding behind a lesser role."

Justice Potter said there were some mitigating factors for Tupe.

He could not read or write, he was never inside the RSA and was not directly involved with the violence.

He was remorseful, although his remorse may have been self-serving.

Tupe had said he was pleased Susan Couch survived, saying: "I got down on my knees and prayed for her to pull through."

But that was because she would be able to testify he was not in the RSA clubrooms and had not murdered anyone.

After sentencing the two men, Justice Potter addressed her final words to Tupe.

She said his non-parole period was "a long time for you to reflect on the tragic happenings".

It was "long enough to ensure that when you leave prison you are no longer illiterate and have addressed your alcohol and drug problem".

She urged Tupe to take opportunities that would be available to him in prison.

Longest sentences:


Feb 13, 2003: William Bell, 25, was jailed for a minimum non-parole period of 33 years for killing three people at the Mt Wellington-Panmure Returned Services Association on December 8, 2001. This is the longest fixed-term sentence imposed by a court in New Zealand legal history.

Dec 18, 2002: Bruce Thomas Howse, 40, was sentenced to life imprisonment, with 28-year non-parole period, for the murders of his stepdaughters in their Masterton sleepout on December 4, 2001. Justice Lowell Goddard said Howse, who had been molesting the girls, should never be released.

Aug 4, 1995: Joseph Stephenson Thompson, 37, the South Auckland serial rapist, was sentenced to a non-parole period of 25 years for 129 charges involving rape and sexual offences against women. He was given a 30-year fixed prison term for offences committed before September 1, 1993 and preventive detention for offences committed after that date. Thompson raped or sexually attacked 50 women and girls in South Auckland over 12 years.

July 3, 1998: Mangere labourer Malcolm Rewa was sentenced in Auckland to preventive detention with a non-parole period of 22 years on a series of sex offences between 1987 and 1995. Rewa pleaded guilty to raping six women, but was found guilty of raping 13 others. In December that year, Rewa was retried for raping and murdering Susan Burdett in her Papatoetoe home in March 1992. He was found guilty on the rape charge and sentenced to 14 years, but the jury was unable to decide on the murder charge.

Aug 13, 2002: Mark Lundy's non-parole sentence for the murders of his wife, Christine, and daughter, Amber, was increased by the Court of Appeal to 20 years. He had earlier been sentenced to life, with 17 years non-parole. The two were killed in their Palmerston North home in August 2000.

Oct 9, 2000: Taffy Hotene, 30, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 18 years for murdering journalist Kylie Jones in Auckland on June 6, 2000. He was also sentenced to preventive detention for raping Ms Jones, 12 years' jail for kidnapping her and nine years for aggravated robbery. Hotene had been released from prison only two months earlier after serving eight years of a 12-year sentence for rape.

July 19, 2002: Ese Junior Falealii, 18, was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a non-parole period of 17 years and nine months for the murders of pizza bar worker Marcus Doig, 23, and bank teller John Vaughan in Auckland. He was also jailed for eight years nine months for attempting to murder pizza bar owner John Bell, and seven years and nine months for each of eight armed robberies, terms to be concurrent.

Nov 26, 2000: Scott Watson, 28, sentenced to life imprisonment for the murders of Olivia Hope and Ben Smart in the Marlborough Sounds on or about January 1, 1998, had a non-parole period of 17 years imposed by after the Crown appealed against his original sentence.

June 25, 2002: Dartelle Alder, 23, had his non-parole period for the rape and murder of jogger Margaret Lynne Baxter extended to 17 years from 15 years by the Court of Appeal. Alder ran down Ms Baxter, 38, with his car near Flaxmere, on January 21 2001. Alder drove her to a house where he raped and killed her.

Nov 24, 1997: Taranaki Black Power gang members Robert Shane Maru, 27, and Brownie Marsh Mane were sentenced to life and non-parole of 17 years for the murder of police witness Christopher Crean in October 1996. Fellow accused Symon George Manihera and Dennis Richard Luke were given non-parole periods of 14 years.

June 21, 1995: David Cullen Bain, 23, was sentenced to 16 years without parole for the murder of his parents, two sisters and brother, who were found shot dead in their Dunedin home on June 20, 1994. Bain said he found his family dead after returning from his paper run.

Nov 28, 2000: The Court of Appeal reduced the non-parole period of Carlos Namana, 20, from 18 years to 16 years. He was sentenced to life for the murder of Mangakino policeman Murray Stretch on May 26, 1999.

* Jules Mikus, 44, was sentenced on November 1, 2002, to preventive detention for the rape of Teresa Cormack and life for her murder and 14 years each for her abduction and forcing her to perform oral sex. Justice Warwick Gendall had no choice but impose a minimum non-parole period of seven years, the time available under legislation when the crimes were committed in 1987 (in Napier). He said Mikus should never be released.


- STAFF REPORTERS, NZPA


Longest non-parole periods in NZ history

December 12, 2002: