Bouwer unwell; no appeal yet

David More.
David More.
Convicted murderer Colin Bouwer is yet to launch an appeal with the Privy Council because of illness.

Bouwer is serving a life sentence for murdering his wife, Annette, by administering a lethal cocktail of drugs intended to mimic the symptoms of a rare tumour, between September 1999 and her unexpected death on January 5, 2000.

At his hearing before the New Zealand Parole Board last September, Bouwer raised the possibility of lodging an appeal against his conviction with the Privy Council.

He claimed he assisted his wife to commit suicide when she became ill, as part of a suicide pact between the pair.

He "did not tell his side of the story at trial, after legal advice not to use the euthanasia explanation'', Bouwer claimed before the parole board.

"He says that he and his wife had a long-standing agreement, that in the event that one of them suffered a terminal illness, they would assist the other to die and that, ultimately, this is what he did, with her agreement, using insulin, which he had also obtained using forged prescriptions,'' the board's decision said.

Bouwer's lawyer, David More, told the Otago Daily Times no application had been lodged with the Privy Council as yet because of illness.

He would not divulge details of Bouwer's illness, because of privacy issues, other than to say his client, a former Dunedin psychiatrist, "isn't well at the moment''.

No final decision about lodging an appeal had been made as a result, Mr More said.

In September 2001, Bouwer was jailed for a minimum non-parole period of 13 years.

That period was increased to 15 years after an appeal by the Crown.

The ODT understands Bouwer remains behind bars and no application has been made for release on either compassionate or medical grounds.

A Department of Corrections spokeswoman said any decision on release would be made by the parole board.

If granted medical release, Bouwer would remain in the custody of Corrections and be accompanied to hospital and be monitored while there by Corrections staff at all times, she said.

A parole board spokesman said he could not comment on the specifics of Bouwer's case. However, the board would require medical advice to make any assessment on whether someone was eligible for medical release, he said.

"If an application is made, it will be dealt with by the board in due course.''

Following his wife's death, Bouwer travelled to South Africa and returned to New Zealand bald and without his trademark beard.

He told people the changes were a result of chemotherapy he had undertaken for prostate cancer.

It emerged that was false.

He told the board at his hearing last year, the claim was a "total fabrication'' and he had lied about his health as a "means of coping'' after his wife's death.

"He said that he was quite depressed and looking for a way to explain his own wrongdoing,'' the board said.

However, Bouwer was never diagnosed as clinically depressed.

"He said that over the years he has had much time to reflect and he has come to understand the enormity of what he did,'' the board said.

His parole was declined as he still presented an undue risk to the community.

When he is finally granted parole, Bouwer will be deported to his native South Africa.

His next appearance before the board is scheduled for late August.

timothy.brown@odt.co.nz

 

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