Whanganui Council seeks judicial review against 'Beast'

Email
Print

Whanganui seeks judicial review

3News NZ

Stewart Murray Wilson, known as the "Beast of Blenheim"

Stewart Murray Wilson, known as the "Beast of Blenheim"

Whanganui's council is seeking a judicial review as part of a four-pronged plan to prevent sex offender Stewart Murray Wilson being released to their community.

Whanganui Mayor Annette Main says the council was unified at an extraordinary meeting on Thursday night to take all appropriate action to stop Wilson being paroled in Whanganui.

The Corrections Department has announced it will release the man dubbed the "Beast of Blenheim" to live in a house on Whanganui Prison land on September 1.

"Our council does not want Stewart Murray Wilson to be released into any community. However, we must first have regard for our local community," she said.

The council voted to:

  • Lobby for retrospective legislation to stop Wilson's parole into Whanganui
  • Seek a judicial review of the Parole Board's decision
  • Co-ordinate a community shunning/trespass of Wilson
  • Decide on resource and building consents for him

A resource consent application was received on August 6 and the building consent application on August 1 - a week before Corrections' announcement of its release plan.

Councillor Michael Laws accused Corrections chief executive Ray Wilson of keeping information from the public.

"If you're being so open to us, why did you foist this on us," Mr Laws told him at the meeting on Thursday night.

"Why did you have a building consent and a resource consent downstairs at the end of July but you only told us a week ago?"

Wilson is challenging his restrictive release conditions in court, and his lawyer Andrew Mackenize said Wilson did not want to move to Whanganui where he was not wanted and there have been threats against his safety.

Wilson, 65, was jailed in 1996 for sex crimes against women, children and animals over 25 years in Blenheim and cannot legally be imprisoned any longer, despite experts' fears he will reoffend.

Whanganui was chosen for his release because none of his 33 victims live in the area.

He will have the strictest release conditions of any offender in New Zealand history.

NZN

Post a Comment

Before commenting, please take the time to read our moderation guide


(Won't be published)



Comments

17/08/2012 9:01:49 p.m.

Ruz wrote:

I suspect that the judical review being sought by the Whanganui DC is being done with the eye to the next local body elections than anything else. Mayor Annette Main has done a 180 on her view of the Corrections Dept proposal for Wilson - moving from near acceptance to complete opposition. Perhaps she is worrried that Michael Laws may want another go at the mayoralty.

17/08/2012 7:16:21 p.m.

Sonny wrote:

According to the Gen Mgr for Dept of Corrections the decision to locate this individual to the Whanganui District was decided by the Parole Board. I'd wager that none of Parole Board reside in the Whanganui District. It would also be interesting as to whether any of these Parole Board Members would entertain this Individual as a resident in their Neighbourhood. This individual should remain in the District from whence they come from and serve their "sentence" in that District, and, NOT be shipped off to another District for which they have NO relationship with. What benefits does the Whanganui District gain from inheriting such an Individual with such a deplorable history, NOTHING. Dept of Corrections does NOT decide on who or where they can relocate such an Individual with such a record. The Parole Board in this case is unfit to make such a decision. Whanganui or for that fact any other District in New Zealand wants this person he should remain in the Malborough District and serve his detention in that District. This Offender has made it known that it is not his desire to reside in Whanganui District whilst serving his time in detention.

17/08/2012 5:22:49 p.m.

Gary wrote:

I understand your anger Michele but you should try to use your mind not your emotions when writing! The guy had mental issues but since he was jailed he has now served his time. We can only ask the departments that deal with this to do so professionally and correctly which is why they set such tight conditions and make him live in a house on prison grounds. Oh and by the way we no longer live in the dark ages we now try and help people not torture and beat them otherwise that makes you not much better than him!

17/08/2012 1:36:03 p.m.

Michele wrote:

He should be castrated. I'm kind of disgusted that he's come out of prison so 'fit' for further crimes after all those years - what's happened to that 'natural justice' we all hear gets dished out in prison?? We're so 'soft' on crime it's pathetic. The fact he debates his 'human' rights, when he treated both humans and animals like objects that he abused at will - let him loose, and let whatever the 'people' decide to do, be done.