The Parole Board have blasted Corrections over the community management of the man who murdered Juliana Herrera in her Christchurch home just 72 days after his release.
Board chairman Sir Ron Young said there was "a clear failure" by Corrections in providing vital information which would have changed the decision to parole the convicted kidnapper and rapist.
On Wednesday Joseph James Brider was sentenced to life in prison and preventive detention for the murder of the Colombian native in her Christchurch flat - an act described by Justice Jonathan Eaton as brutal, cruel, callous, depraved and sadistic.
At sentencing, Brider was described as a psychopathic offender who lacked any remorse or empathy and was undoubtedly a significant and “very real” danger to women. Brider had been released on parole - after being refused five times - with strict conditions including GPS monitoring and a curfew.
He moved into a flat adjoining Herrera’s on Grove St, Addington and within days became obsessed with her.
That monitoring - including GPS tracking and a curfew - fell to Corrections once Brider was living outside the wire.
Today, Sir Ron released a statement highly critical of Corrections management of Brider.
His comments come after an independent report from Professor Devon Polaschek into the Parole Board’s decision in October 2021 to release Brider on parole.
In her review Professor Polaschek had concluded the Parole Board’s decision to release Brider was reasonable based on the information available to it.
Sir Ron said the board’s preferred address for Brider was the Salisbury Street Foundation. He said the address “discussed extensively” at his parole hearing.
"However, the board was unable to release Brider to the Salisbury Street Foundation.
"This was because according to the information provided by Corrections to the Parole Board’s October 2021 parole hearing, there was no room available for Mr Brider at the Salisbury Street Foundation,” said Sir Ron.
”I now believe the information provided to the Board by Corrections that there was no room available at the Salisbury Street Foundation for a release on parole was not correct.
"It is my understanding that after the June 2021 parole hearing, where it was clearly intended that Mr Brider would be released to the Salisbury Street Foundation, Corrections contacted the Foundation and cancelled the referral.
"This occurred in August of 2021.
"The Parole Board was not made aware of this significant change in the release plan by Corrections at any time before Mr Brider’s release on parole.”
