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Parole Board says decision to release convicted murder Mark Lundy was not easy
Parole Board says decision to release convicted murder Mark Lundy was not easy

RNZ News

time07-05-2025

  • RNZ News

Parole Board says decision to release convicted murder Mark Lundy was not easy

Mark Lundy. Photo: RNZ / Sharon Lundy The Parole Board says the decision to release convicted double murderer Mark Lundy from prison was not an easy one. The 66-year-old left Tongariro Prison about 6am on Wednesday morning, having been granted parole following a hearing last month. The board has also on Wednesday released a seven-page written decision summarising the hearing and, for the first time, outlined the reasons behind its decision. "This was not an easy decision given the brutal murders committed by Mr Lundy and his claim that he did not commit those offences," the report said, signed off by panel convenor Kathryn Snook. "However, on balance, this board is satisfied that Mr Lundy will not pose an undue risk to the community if released on parole on strict conditions designed to address his risk as well as assist in his reintegration and address victim concerns." The board said Lundy had completed all treatment available to him, given his denial of offending, including a drug treatment programme. He also worked with two psychologists, who assessed him as a low risk of offending. Released prisoners must develop a "safety plan", which outlines how they would behave in situations that could cause them to offend. The board said Lundy's was assessed as reasonable and appropriate. "We do think that Mr Lundy is likely to comply with his conditions. He has informed support..." Christine, Mark and Amber Lundy. Photo: SUPPLIED Lundy has always maintained his innocence, after twice being found guilty of killing his wife Christine and 7-year-old daughter Amber in their Palmerston North home in August 2000. He was convicted at a trial in 2002 and, after the Privy Council overturned his convictions, again at a 2015 retrial. He was arrested in early 2001 and, apart from 18 months when he was on bail awaiting his retrial, has been in custody since. Lundy was sentenced to a 20-year minimum term and was eligible for parole in 2022. On parole he's subjected to 19 conditions. Where he's living and who he's living with are suppressed, but he must stay at the property between 10pm and 6am unless there's an emergency. He is banned from entering Manawatū, meaning he cannot visit his wife and daughter's graves in Palmerston North, and he cannot talk to media. He also can't enter Rangitīkei, Hastings or Nelson, and he will be electronically monitored. Lundy cannot possess or use alcohol or drugs, and can be tested for these any time. He cannot contact registered victims or their families and he has to tell his probation officer of any intimate relationship or paid employment he finds. He is banned from social media, internet dating sites and accessing pornography, and must make available to probation internet-capable devices or passwords. Because he is serving a life term, he can be recalled to jail at any time. Before last month's Parole Board decision to release him , he had appeared before the board twice previously, but was ordered to remain in jail. Lundy has filed with the Criminal Cases Review Commission four years ago. A commission spokeswoman said it hadn't yet made a decision about the case. "We are unable to give any indication regarding when a decision is likely to be made as this depends on the time required to complete our inquiries, which are still ongoing," she said. "Mr Lundy's application raises several complex matters which require careful consideration and expert opinion." Lundy's progress will be monitored by the Parole Board in October. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

Convicted double murderer Mark Lundy leaves prison
Convicted double murderer Mark Lundy leaves prison

RNZ News

time07-05-2025

  • RNZ News

Convicted double murderer Mark Lundy leaves prison

Convicted double murderer Mark Lundy has been released from Tongariro Prison. He was granted parole last month , but the date for his release from prison was suppressed until noon on Wednesday. Corrections confirmed he had left about 6am. Where he would live and who he would live with were also suppressed. The now-66-year-old has always maintained his innocence, after twice being found guilty of killing his wife Christine and daughter Amber in their Palmerston North home in August 2000. He was arrested in early 2001 and, apart from 18 months when he was on bail awaiting his retrial, has been in custody since. Lundy was sentenced to a 20-year minimum term and was eligible for parole in 2022. Mark Lundy Photo: RNZ Before last month's Parole Board decision to release him, he had appeared before the board twice previously, but was ordered to remain in jail. On his release, Lundy would be under strict conditions. He has been banned from entering Manawatū, meaning he cannot visit his wife and daughter's graves, and he cannot talk to media. He also cannot enter Rangitīkei, Hastings or Nelson and would be electronically monitored. Lundy cannot possess or use alcohol or drugs, and can be tested any time. He cannot contact registered victims or their families; and he has to tell his probation officer of any intimate relationship or any work he finds. Cars leave the prison around dawn, about the time Mark Lundy left. Photo: RNZ / Daniel Jones He is banned from social media, internet dating sites and accessing pornography, and must make available to probation internet-capable devices or passwords. Because he is serving a life term, he can be recalled to jail at any time. Lundy's supporters, known as FACTUAL (For Amber and Christine, Truth Uncovered about Lundy), have stood by him for the past 25 years and were hoping he would have his name cleared by the CCRC (Criminal Cases Review Commission). The group said Lundy filed his case with CCRC four years ago. The Parole Board will meet him again in October to monitor his progress. Photo: RNZ / Daniel Jones Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

Letters to the Editor: Lundy, South D and dairy
Letters to the Editor: Lundy, South D and dairy

Otago Daily Times

time22-04-2025

  • Otago Daily Times

Letters to the Editor: Lundy, South D and dairy

Today's Letters to the Editor from readers cover topics including the release of Mark Lundy, the future of South Dunedin and the price of dairy. Lundy parole may be but verdict still flawed Mark Lundy has been granted parole two years after he became eligible. The second guilty verdict was based on forensic evidence that expert witness Prof Stephen Bustin, professor of molecular science at a London University critiqued as ''novel, invalid, no better than pseudoscience''. This test was to prove whether the speck of central nervous tissue found on Lundy's shirt was of human origin or could have originated from eating a chop or sausage. Four immunochemical tests were undertaken and each was performed three times. Seven out of 12 were positive and the cutoff was set arbitrarily at 50%. If this test was consistent and reliable, why wasn't the aggregate of positive tests a number divisible by three? Lundy's second guilty verdict was just as flawed as his first, and was appropriately delivered on April Fool's day. Ian Breeze Broad Bay Loving it With all the images on social media over recent days showing earthmoving machinery in action at Wanaka. I take it that they are preparing the site for the long-awaited McDonald's restaurant? John Noble Mosgiel Sim city So now the council wants us to play Sim City according to their seven possible futures for South Dunedin mail-out. If you missed out on this '90s computer game, players had to manage various aspects of city life, including zoning, infrastructure and citizen needs, all the while trying to keep the city thriving and prevent disasters. One has to wonder what we are paying them to do when they want us to tell them how to play the game! Lynne Newell Dunedin Better quote perhaps? Given this Easter's weather, perhaps the quote of the day from Sir Geoffrey Palmer (ODT, 21.4.25) ought to have been 'New Zealand is an irredeemably pluvial country'. Alan Roddick Waverley Huge and wild The English poet A E Housman wrote: The Grizzly Bear is huge and wild; He has devoured the infant child. The infant child is not aware He has been eaten by the bear. When is America going to wake up? Russell Thew St Leonards Cheese and milk prices should be decreasing With the cost of living being so prominent I want to ask if we are being ripped off? Globally, as reported in Trading Economics, which tracks commodity sales, for the 2025 period to March, milk and cheese prices have decreased globally by between 7-9%. While at the same time these items increased in price to the local consumer by 9%. If our price is tied to global prices, as New Zealand producers claim, why has the New Zealand price increased, when globally it decreased? Are we being ripped off? Kevin O'Hara Dunedin Self-congratulations Since the decisive parliamentary vote to defeat the Treaty Principles Bill, I have observed with interest the self-congratulatory outpourings from those who opposed the Bill. If the parliamentary vote was indeed a true reflection of the wider public's attitude to the issues raised via the Bill, I wonder why the Bill's opponents were so determined that it should not be put to a public referendum. John Bell St Clair Address Letters to the Editor to: Otago Daily Times, PO Box 517, 52-56 Lower Stuart St, Dunedin. Email: editor@

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