Murder parolee jailed for assault

Fifteen years after his conviction for the schoolyard rape and murder of a Christchurch woman, Michael Wayne October has been jailed for 21 months for strangling and threatening to kill his girlfriend.

October, who now goes by the name Mikaere Oketopa, told his girlfriend during the July 30 incident at his home: "This is the last night you will have air in your lungs."

He also told her: "Too bad your son's not going to have a mother."

Oketopa stopped the attack when she told him she loved him and let her body go limp.

She said later she believed she was going to be killed.

At Oketopa's Christchurch District Court sentencing, in the Rangiora Court House today, Judge Gary MacAskill said the threat to kill was "serious and particularly frightening" given his background.

The 42-year-old was sentenced to life imprisonment in October 1995 for the rape and murder of 22-year-old Anne-Maree Ellens in the grounds of Christchurch East primary school.

He was one of three men convicted though he claimed he did not know the other two men and was not involved.

Judge MacAskill said today he was aware Oketopa continued to contest the correctness of his conviction.

Oketopa was released from prison five years ago and has been working with inmates at the Salisbury Street Foundation and as a painter's labourer. He was described as a hard worker.

The attack on his girlfriend left her with bruising that took a long time to heal.

Defence counsel at the sentencing was Clare Yardley, who was junior counsel for Oketopa at the murder trial. She said she had always found him "thoughtful and deep" in expressing himself clearly even in the face of some extraordinary difficulties. She admired his tenacity and patience.

After the assault on the woman, with whom he had been friends for nine months, he had texted an apology to her, turned himself into the police station the next day even though he knew he would be held in custody, had written an apology letter to the court, and wanted to apologise to the woman at a restorative justice conference.

He has now been recalled to prison by the Parole Board to serve more of his life term.

He had pleaded guilty to charges of assault with intent to injure and threatening to kill.

Judge MacAskill reduced his sentence to 21 months because of his remorse and acceptance of responsibility, and because of his rehabilitation efforts. But he also said use of alcohol and cannabis had been seen as a problem before his arrest and remand in custody last year.

Oketopa accepted that substance abuse played a significant part in the offending.

- NZPA