Peter George Davis, 73, spent more than 30 years behind bars after the brutal 1992 attack on Sarah Curry, which sparked public calls at the time for the reintroduction of the death penalty.
The man raped and strangled the girl; her body was later found near Bluff Highway.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment and preventive detention, having racked up previous convictions for a machete attack on his partner and a sexually motivated attack on a stranger.
Davis was released from prison in June 2023 – to the Manawatu-Whanganui region - despite a letter written in 2010 by the victim’s now-deceased father Brian saying he was “certain” the man would reoffend if freed.
The Parole Board, though, noted the killer had completed “extensive” rehabilitation while in jail, including a specialist child-sex-offender programme, drug treatment and a year of individual sessions with a psychologist.
Davis was paroled on an array of strict conditions, featuring compulsory electronic monitoring, a ban from internet-capable devices and a restriction from loitering near schools, parks or other recreation facilities.
A former police officer connected to the case contacted the Otago Daily Times this week to highlight the release of the high-profile inmate, not because he was critical of the board’s decision but because of concern the public had a right to know.
Two monitoring hearings held in the year following Davis’ parole were broadly positive.
He had been reporting to his Probation Officer weekly and had regularly attended a relapse support group for child sex offenders.
Davis had also reportedly joined Alcoholics Anonymous and was accompanied by a mentor when out in public. He was also “slowly developing his community support network".
However, a progress report in April 2024 said a psychologist had identified issues around “ruminative thinking”.
Panel convener Annable Markham noted the most recent information on Davis’ file put him at average risk of sexual reoffending.
However, the parolee had kept in close contact with Probation, was attending a church group and had returned a clean drug test.
Davis sought increased access to the internet because he felt the need to “upskill” but that was knocked back by the board.
“For today we think the conditions are working as intended and do not see the need for any changes,” Ms Markham said.
Davis parole conditions include:
- To abide by an 8pm-8am curfew
- To live at an approved address
- To submit to electronic monitoring
- To attend any treatment as directed
- Not to possess alcohol or drugs
- Not to enter licensed premises
- To disclose new intimate relationships to Probation
- To inform Probation about changed to employment status
- Not to use internet-capable devices
- Not to loiter near schools, early childhood centres, parks, libraries, swimming pools, churches or other specified areas
- Not to have contact with under 16s
- Not to contact victims
- Not to travel south of Christchurch
