Corrections not told of Paul Tainui's convictions while on life parole, inquest hears

The Coroner's Court has heard there was no record of Corrections being told about a murderer receiving further convictions while on parole.

Concerns about Paul Tainui's mental state were also repeatedly raised during Parole Board hearings and his integration back into the community, the court was told.

Tainui served 13 years of a life sentence for the murder of ex-girlfriend Kimberley Schroder in 1994 before committing the murder of Nicole Tuxford while on life parole in 2018.

A joint inquest into Tuxford's murder and the sudden death of Gary James Schroder, Kimberley's father, continued in Christchurch today.

Detective Inspector Scott Anderson led the homicide investigation into Tuxford's death and was the court's first witness.

Tainui, formerly known as Paul Wilson, had 10 listed police events during his seven years on parole, he said.

But for more than half of them, there was no record of the event being reported to Corrections.

"Tainui was involved in a crash where he was convicted on two charges of careless driving causing injury. He was fined, ordered to pay reparation and disqualified from driving for one year. There was no police record that this information was shared with Corrections," Anderson detailed.

Events that were likely not communicated to Corrections included four car crashes and information about a suspected seizure, he told the court.

Officers who dealt with Tainui after he failed a routine breath test were also unaware of his life parole status and were not able to readily access relevant information, Anderson said.

Police systems have since changed, and now an automatic alert is issued once a life parolee's name is entered into the police system.

If they have committed a crime that carries a prison sentence, it is recommended they are arrested and Corrections is notified.

Concerns over behaviour patterns

Office of the Chief Corrections' Psychologist advisor Dr Nick Wilson also took the witness stand today.

Tainui's parole application was denied three times due to his inability to accept he had murdered Kimberley Schroder, he said.

"He had some difficulty accepting his personal responsibility for his actions in his offending, which he reported as 'evil' ," Wilson noted.

"In my opinion, this was reflective of... his suppression of his bad side."

During his first prison sentence, Tainui had more than 300 psychiatric treatment sessions, Wilson said.

The sessions continued even during his transition back into the community.

"Subsequent to his release on parole, some further contact was made with him by psychological services staff after concerns were raised about his level of guardedness when questioned during re-integration work."

At one point, he said, a recommendation was made for Tainui to be monitored by psychological service while on parole and be required to immediately inform them if he engaged in another intimate relationship.

Psychologists also noted his risk of reoffending may increase when presented with a challenging situation or irrational feeling of abandonment, Wilson told the court.

But his overall risk was categorised as low in psychological assessments prepared for the Parole Board, he said.

The inquest is expected to run for two weeks.