Survivor speaks out about killer

Convicted killer William Dwane Bell.

"I hope to God that he never gets out," says Susan Couch, the sole survivor of the brutal Mt Wellington-Panmure RSA killings.


She is only now speaking out for the first time about convicted triple murderer William Dwane Bell.

The part-time accountant was the only survivor of the violent armed robbery at the Panmure RSA in December 2001, in which the lives of cleaner Mary Hobson, club president Bill Absolum, and member Wayne Johnson were taken.

Ms Couch was left with life-threatening injuries, and at one point doctors talked to her family about switching off life support.

Bell, who was on parole at the time of the triple murder, was jailed for life with a minimum non-parole period of 33 years, reduced to 30 years on appeal.

As revealed by the Herald on Sunday three weeks ago, Ms Couch is preparing to sue the Department of Corrections for alleged parole blunders leading to the murders.

She will break her silence on the tragedy tomorrow night on TV3's 60 Minutes current affairs programme.

The Sensible Sentencing Trust has funded a similar lawsuit from Mary Hobson's widower Tai.

That case is currently before the Court of Appeal.

The trust is also financing Ms Couch's legal battle.

Trust spokesperson Garth McVicar said he was in frequent contact with Ms Couch.

"Systematic breakdowns" meant she had not received the counselling and compensation to which she should have been entitled, he said.

"She needs independence. She needs to have her life reinstated to what it was before [the attack].

"They can never repair the injuries that have happened to her but they can make life a lot easier to live, for her."

Mr McVicar said Ms Couch and the families of the victims hoped the lawsuits would lead to changes to the parole system.

"If anybody is going to let an offender out on parole, the conditions they [parole boards] put on them should be strictly enforced. And if they are not, bring [parolees] back and put them behind bars as soon as they breach those conditions," Mr McVicar said.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY