Paul Tainui, formerly known as Paul Wilson, murdered Christchurch woman Nicole Tuxford while on life parole for the murder of ex-girlfriend Kimberley Schroder in 1994. Photo: Supplied by NZ Herald
A convicted double murderer has admitted he would often mislead or lie to Corrections staff while on parole.
Paul Tainui was denied parole three times while serving a life sentence for Kimberley Schroder's murder in 1994.
It was eventually granted in 2010 after he served 13 years.
While on parole in 2018, he murdered Nicole Tuxford, whose death is at the centre of an [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/478727/many-unanswered-questions-remain-families-of-two-murdered-women-tell-court
inquest] in Christchurch.
A statement written by Tainui was read to the court today by Tim Mackenzie, the lawyer assisting the coroner.
"Overall I think that Corrections worked their backsides off to help me out. I misled them into thinking I was good, especially at the end of my [time on] parole," Tainui wrote.
"I would often mislead or tell lies to the probation staff I was seeing... I knew that if they thought something was up that I might get recalled."
Tainui was told by Corrections staff if he was drinking, he would be recalled to prison.
"In 2018 I was drinking regularly and heavily and lied about this to Probation. I was telling them the drinking had gone down, when it had actually gone up.
"I was drinking at least four drinks every night and a lot more in the weekends on Friday and Saturday night," Tainui recalled.
The statement continued to say "things were getting out of control" in the last few months prior to Tuxford's murder in April 2018.
Tainui also mentioned how he would persuade Corrections staff he was fine while on parole and did not need to see a psychologist, despite having over 300 therapy sessions during his first prison stint.
"Whenever a risk assessment was done, I just said I wasn't drinking that much and generally downplayed things. Things were not going well for me, but I pulled the wool over [their eyes]."
During Tainui's first parole hearing in 2007, The Parole Board was particularly concerned about the lack of focus on his offending in his treatment.
The court was told Tainui had an apparent inability to take responsibility for his actions, despite having had 275 psychiatrist sessions by this point.
This included Tainui's refusal to admit he had raped Kimberley Schroder prior to her murder.
Office of the Chief Corrections' Psychologist advisor Dr Nick Wilson conceded Corrections could have done more to get a handle on Tainui's manipulative behaviour.
"There was a missed opportunity to engage him earlier in treatment for his offending, which may have had a greater degree of success."
But Wilson told the court Tainui's manipulation of Corrections staff and clinicians would likely be picked up in today's system.
"He was successful in diverting the focus of his treatment away from his offending. And he did it across multiple professional [psychologists]," Wilson said.
"It's highly unusual that somebody would receive that degree of treatment these days without alarm bells going off."
The inquest is set to conclude on 25 November.