KEY POINTS:
A woman jailed for life for murder is back behind bars only months after being freed on parole.
Michelle Richards was jailed for life for her role life in the 1997 murder of retired Temuka businessman Dennis Hind but was granted parole late last year with the Parole Board stating the turnaround in her life had been remarkable.
The board confirmed yesterday Richards' probation officer had asked for her to be recalled to prison, and an interim recall was granted a fortnight ago.
While the reason for the recall was not available Richards had not broken the law, a spokeswoman told the Timaru Herald.
She said the grounds could be quite minor. A prisoner could be recalled if there is the "slightest hint of them going astray" or they present any possible risk to the community.
A hearing to decide whether she should continue to serve her life sentence would be held later this month.
Richards and her 18-year-old lover, Robert Smith, were found guilty of murdering businessman Dennis Hind at his Temuka home in January 1997.
Richards and her three children were living with Mr Hind, who had changed his will in her favour, when she convinced Smith to murder him by repeatedly stabbed him while he was in his bed.
The board which agreed to Richards' release said although she was convicted of a cold, calculated murder she had turned her life around while in prison, one of a handful prisoners to do so while incarcerated.
- NZPA
