Convicted double murderer John Barlow said 15 years in prison was "like going into retirement" and hasn't changed him a bit, as he walked free from Rimutaka Prison this morning.

John Barlow was jailed in 1995 for the execution-style killings of Wellington father and son businessmen Eugene and Gene Thomas.

David Tamihere's Parole Board has requested a report on his suitability for "residential restrictions", for his release.

Three young men have been jailed for beating unconscious a 14-year-old boy in an inner-city alleyway.

A teenager on home detention chased a police officer with a nailgun in the Otago town of Cromwell early this morning, before crashing during a police pursuit.