Christie's killer still a risk – parole board

  • Breaking
  • 16/12/2013

The man who killed Auckland teenager Christie Marceau has been denied parole, with the board saying he is still an "undue risk to the safety of the community".

Akshay Anand Chand, 21, was found guilty last year on charges of kidnap, assault and threatening to kill, but was found not guilty of murder due to a plea of insanity after he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

In a decision released this morning, the Parole Board ruled it was "clear [Chand] cannot be considered for release''.

Chand now has a "well-established diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, which is currently stable due to medication''.

"He has been encouraged by staff to explore things relating to his risk to society, his status as an insanity acquittee as well as a prisoner, and the psychological factors that may have contributed to his offending.

"He is seen as compliant and attending all unit groups but is seen to have a lack of motivation to do anything beyond what is asked of him or to work to identify his treatment needs."

The board says Chand will continue to work on these things with a psychologist in the future.

Although Chand has made a "significant recovery in terms of the positive symptoms of his illness'', he is still not symptom free and still has a long way to go in "understanding the nexus between his illness, personality, and offending''.

Chand was however given "cautious support'' to be given leave to walk around the grounds of the psychiatric hospital, as long as he is with an escort and remains within the hospital's perimeter.

Ms Marceau was 18 when she was stabbed to death in her North Shore home in November 2011.

Chand, who was then 18, was on bail at the time of the killing and was facing charges of kidnapping, threatening and assaulting Ms Marceau two months prior.

However, 32 days after he was released on bail, Chand walked to her house with a hammer and kitchen knife, and killed her.

Ms Marceau's death prompted the launch of the Christie's Law campaign, which sought to toughen bail laws.

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source: newshub archive