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The country's youngest convicted killer is back behind bars after being picked up by police following allegations he has been using drugs.
Bailey Junior Kurariki was arrested at 7.30pm on Friday and charged with breaching parole after his probation officer lodged a formal complaint with the Parole Board.
The claim that Kurariki had been under the influence of drugs came after a routine check of his South Auckland address.
Under the terms of Kurariki's residential supervision order, he is prohibited from using or being in the possession of "alcohol and/or illicit drugs".
He is also under electronic monitoring and must attend weekly counselling sessions.
After arresting him, police took Kurariki to the Manukau police station for processing before transferring him to Mt Eden Prison, where he was to spend the weekend. His lawyer, Chris Comeskey, yesterday confirmed the 18-year-old had been recalled by the Parole Board after allegations by his probation officer of drug use.
The board will convene tomorrow to hear Comeskey's submissions over the allegations.
It is understood Kurariki told police at the time of his arrest that he had not been involved with drugs since being paroled almost three months ago. He claimed the charge was a consequence of him "kicking up a fuss" about the leak of a 30-page Corrections Department dossier.
Inmates whose details were included in the confidential Corrections file found discarded on an Auckland street are banding together to seek compensation.
The dossier included personal information, parole reports and confidential department notes about dozens of high-profile prisoners, including Kurariki and convicted double murderer David Tamihere.
Kurariki was only 13 years old when he was jailed after being convicted of manslaughter for his part in the death of pizza delivery man Michael Choy in 2001.
Choy's mother Rita Croskery said yesterday Kurariki's arrest did not surprise her.
She said she had warned the board on countless occasions that, given his chequered history and lack of maturity, there was a high risk he would be arrested again.
"I would have hoped, though, that he would have tried to turn things around, especially given the fact he was being monitored so closely," Croskery said.
A Parole Board report before Kurariki's release on residential supervision, previously known as home detention, claimed the 18-year-old was an articulate, intelligent and mature young man who was determined to turn his life around.
He had embraced religion and Maori culture and was committed to adhering to his parole conditions, the board claimed.
However, at the time University of Canterbury criminologist Greg Newbold expressed doubts, saying it was a "great big question mark, a dirty big guess" over whether Kurariki would reoffend.
The statistics were not encouraging, he said, with 90 per cent of under 20-year-olds reoffending within five years of release.
Kurariki appears before the board next month for a hearing to assess his progress. Its authority over him will end six months after his final release date of September 16.
