Murderer Hayden Poulter denied parole

  • 19/05/2017
Murderer Hayden Poulter denied parole

A New Zealand man who murdered three people and tried to kill another will stay in prison another year after being denied parole.

Hayden Tyron Poulter, now 55, has been in prison for two decades for the 1996 murders of three people just a week apart.

He also attempted to murder a fourth person.

Poulter raped and murdered 21-year-old prostitute Natacha Hogan on Auckland's Karangahape Rd in October 1996. A week later he stabbed sex worker Ladda Nimphet and her boss Herbert Norris at a Fort St massage parlour. He also tried to killed sex worker Angkana Chaisamret on the same night.

Poulter was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murders, 10 years for attempted murder and nine for rape.

In the latest Parole Board decision, it says Poulter has made some progress in being re-integrated into society with five guided release outings which were without incident.

Poulter was not seeking parole in this hearing, but instead was looking for the Board's support for more opportunities for re-integration including a transfer the outer Self Care Unit and taking part in a release-to-work programme.

He's currently in the inner Self Care Unit and has already been working as a construction labourer with a civilian contractor doing upgrades to the unnamed prison he's housed in.

The board says it is "pleased to not" Poulter has another guided release in two weeks' time.

Poulter's work with a psychologist has also seen him do some planning around relationships and "future intimate encounters".

"While, as noted, we support his participation in release to work - indeed it is unrealistic to expect that he can be released without having the opportunity of being challenged in a situation where he meets with members of the public, we are less optimistic than Mr Poulter about the time that it will take for him to be ready for release on parole.

"In our view a period of six months on release to work is the bare minimum that it would take before Mr Poulter's ongoing risk could be realistically assessed," the decision reads.

He'll next be up for parole in May 2018.

Newshub.