Rapist, murderer Hayden Taylor 'declined' parole again

Murderer and rapist Hayden Taylor has spent more than 20 years in prison for killing Nicola Rankin and attacking Amanda Watt. Photo / Supplied

Rapist and murderer Hayden Taylor has reportedly been refused parole - again.

And it has been revealed that he was caught trying to create a "chat program" on a prison computer without authorisation.

Taylor has been in prison for more than 20 years, serving dual sentences of life imprisonment and preventive detention after murdering pregnant teenager Nicola Rankin in September 1996.

When he killed Rankin, 18, he was on bail for raping former street worker Amanda Watt.

Taylor appeared before the Parole Board earlier this month.

Today the board's decision was formally released.

In it the board revealed Taylor had been caught using a prison computer inappropriately.

"In the course of questioning Mr Taylor, the Board made reference to an incident reported in the parole assessment report where he was withdrawn from the prison computer room because of inappropriate use of the computers," the board said.

"Mr Taylor explained that this arose when he developed code for a chat program on the computer. He described it in simple terms.

"He said it was not his intention to implement the program. He thought he was permitted to do what he did. In the light of events, he accepted that it was not the right decision."

The board said Taylor was authorised to use a prison computer which had no internet access.

However it was "particularly concerned with his attempt to develop a chat programme.".

"Whilst Mr Taylor accepted his decision to do so was wrong, he minimised and attempted to justify his actions.

"He appeared to have very little insight into what could only be viewed as a singular lapse in his decision-making," the decision said.

Teenager Nicola Rankin was murdered in September 1996. The 18-year-old was pregnant at the time. Photo / Supplied

In 2010 it was revealed that Taylor allegedly raped and abducted a 14-year-old girl in a previously unreported case before going on to commit murder.

The allegations against Taylor, then 34, only came to light at a Parole Board hearing.

The alleged attack took place four months before Taylor sadistically murdered Rankin.

But police at the time said they were powerless to prosecute Taylor because the woman didn't want to press charges.

Taylor forced 18-year-old Rankin to walk into the remote Riverhead Forest, 35km northwest of Auckland, and bludgeoned her to death with a spade.

Her body was found in a shallow grave with her hands bound behind her back and her underwear had been removed.

Taylor had just been released on bail for a strikingly similar attack on Watt months earlier.

He threatened her with a knife, tied her hands behind her back and raped her in his car.

Then drove her to Muriwai Beach, where he tried to force her into the sand dunes.

However, fearing he would kill her, she managed to persuade him to return to the city.

"When he last appeared for parole to be considered on 9 September 2016, the board concluded that it was satisfied by a wide margin that Mr Taylor needed more and extensive reintegration activity whether in the form of individual counselling, but certainly in the form of release to work," the decision read.

"It expressed the view that Mr Taylor must attempt to prove himself across a wide range of situations.

"That conclusion was reached after a discussion with Mr Taylor about the issue of sexual deviance which is strongly implied by the circumstances surrounding his murder of Ms Rankin.

"As he has on previous occasions before the board, he denied that there was a sexual element linked with the murder, and in any event maintained, as he had previously, that any issues of sexual deviance had been adequately covered in the rehabilitation activities he had completed throughout his sentence."

The board said Taylor's sexual deviancy was still very much an issue.

And it heard from his victims.

"They opposed his release on parole and were of the view that if released he would pose a danger to others and reoffend," the board said.

"In response, Mr Taylor had no comment to make."

The board said it had been "deeply troubled by the evidence of sexual offending accompanying his murder of Ms Rankin and Mr Taylor's later denial of it".

"In our view the issue of his risk of reoffending can only be mitigated by either intensive psychological treatment, should he seek to review his position, or through a very lengthy period of reintegration activity and risk management planning.

"The latter, in the Board's view is likely to take many years.

"Parole today is declined."

Taylor will be scheduled to return to the board in February next year for the sole issue of postponement to be considered.