Tagger killer Bruce Emery granted parole

Bruce Emery during his trial. Photo / Greg Bowker

A man jailed after stabbing a tagger to death in south Auckland in 2008 has been granted parole.

Bruce Emery, 52, was jailed in February last year for four years and three months for stabbing to death teenager Pihema Cameron, whom he caught spraying graffiti on his south Auckland property.

He will be released next month after the Parole Board decided he was at low risk of reoffending.

However, he won't be returning to his old address in Manurewa, south Auckland, and he is not allowed to have contact with the victim's family.

Parole was rejected when he first became eligible in April 2010 as there were concerns about his proposed release address and the board was not satisfied he did not pose an undue risk to the community.

When he reappeared in July the board had concern ``over the management of his mood'' and called for a psychologist's report.

That report, dated last month, said Emery, a first offender, ``presents at a low risk of violent recidivism and low risk of general offending''.

It said he would receive treatment recommended by the psychologist, and that Emery ``is also clearly aware of the difficulties his mood may present and intends to seek appropriate help''.

Emery told the board he had no intention of returning to his previous address, and planned to move away from that area to another part of the country in the near future.

- NZPA