A seven-year-old murder has come back into the spotlight this week with the revelation one of those on trial for the death of a Tauranga businessman killed Rotorua man Peter Franklyn execution-style outside Rotorua International Stadium in 2006.
Joseph Russell Rewiri was sentenced in February 2008 to life imprisonment with14 years' non-parole for the murder. Yet just three and a half years later Gary Kimura was killed by a man sent to his home by Rewiri, who last week pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Te Puke man Witeri Neketai was this week found guilty of the murder. During this most recent trial it was revealed Rewiri instructed Neketai through text messages to "hammer" Mr Kimura, who died after a punch knocked him to the ground and his skull was fractured. The visit was to collect a $30,000 drug debt.
As Mr Franklyn's widow asks in today's story - how can criminals be allowed to continue their activities from inside prison?
"It's a joke. It's crazy inmates can have access to criminal organisations from inside. He had a cellphone. How can they do their deals from inside?"
This is a hardened criminal, jailed for murder, whose original crime was so heinous he won't be released for many years, yet he has been able to get involved in activities involving drugs and violence.
How must the families of Rewiri's victims feel, knowing what he's been able to do from behind bars.
No one is naive enough to believe our prisons are free from crime - they are full of criminals after all - but we have to ask how much is being done to prevent it.
