Rufus Marsh, who tortured and murdered a Wellington woman in 1986, has been denied parole again and could remain in jail until he is too old to pose a risk to the community.
The Parole Board decided after a hearing on September 1 that Marsh, 52, "must be regarded as unsafe to be released at the present time".
The board supported a recommendation that he attend an adult sex offender programme, but rejected a request from Marsh's lawyer for work parole, home leave and a transfer to a self care unit.
Marsh, 52, has more than 25 convictions, including the murder of Wellington woman Diane Miller and the manslaughter of an elderly man he kicked to death in 1975. He has spent just 18 months out of prison since the age of 14.
Marsh has been eligible to be considered for parole since 1997 after serving the minimum 10 years for Ms Miller's death. Since then he has had at least six parole hearings.
The board said it had received a negative psychological assessment for Marsh.
"The assessment indicates that whilst Marsh should, as recommended, attend this (sex offender) programme, the board needs also to consider whether it may be a more humane and realistic outcome to allow Mr Marsh to accept that he is very unlikely to be ready for release until he has [been] made frail with age."
The board also gave notice that when Marsh was next to be seen, a postponement order would also be considered.
A postponement order would allow the board to delay regular parole hearings.
Under the Parole Act, Marsh has to have notice that this will happen.
The board said Marsh might be one of those rare people "of whom nothing much can be done and for whom the safety of the community must be regarded as paramount ... so that they remain in prison for a long time."
Marsh has a long history of offending, with convictions for attempted rape, aggravated robbery, and assaulting two prison staff with a weapon made from razor blades, in addition to the murder and manslaughter convictions.
