Dean Wickliffe, one of New Zealand's most high-profile criminals and prison escapee talks about his life behind bars. He is the only person to have escaped Paremoremo maximum security prison twice and he was New Zealand's longest-serving ...
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Dean Wickliffe, one of New Zealand's most high-profile criminals and prison escapee talks about his life behind bars. He is the only person to have escaped Paremoremo maximum security prison twice and he was New Zealand's longest-serving prisoner. / Brett Phibbs
NOW PLAYING • Interview: Dean Wickliffe on his life behind bars
Dean Wickliffe, one of New Zealand's most high-profile criminals and prison escapee talks about his life behind bars. He is the only person to have escaped Paremoremo maximum security prison twice and he was New Zealand's longest-serving ...
The longest serving inmates in Kiwi jails have been behind bars for a combined total of more than 367 years - and some may never be released.
Information provided to the Herald by the Department of Corrections revealed the 10 prisoners who had spent the most days in prison.
As of May 20 the inmates - all men - have been locked up for a total of 134,156 days.
That's 367.55 years or 19,165 weeks.
The men are in prison for a plethora of offending including murder, sex crimes, manslaughter and bank robbery.
One of the men has permanent name suppression so cannot be identified, but the rest have lengthy criminal histories and many will be well known to most New Zealanders.
1 Alfred Thomas Vincent
Days behind bars 18,132
Vincent is New Zealand's longest-serving prisoner.
The Christchurch man was one of the first people to be sentenced to preventive detention after he was convicted in 1968 of performing indecencies on five boys aged 12-14, including brothers, over about a year.
He has spent more than 50 years in prison.
Vincent first became eligible for parole 37 years ago, and has been refused each time.
The only time the child sex offender has spent outside prison was during day passes and weekend leaves in the early 80s - which were revoked when he was caught talking to young boys.
2 Denis Richard Luke
Days behind bars 15,798
Luke was jailed for life for the murder of Christopher Crean on October 6, 1996.
Denis Luke, convicted over the 1996 murder of Christopher Crean in New Plymouth Photo / Native Affairs, Maori TV
This crime was committed while he was on life parole for another murder committed 21 years previously.
Luke was a Black Power gang member.
Crean, a father of four and devout Christian, was set to give evidence as a Crown witness in a police case against Black Power members who had attacked a rival gang member outside Crean's home.
The 27-year-old refused to be silenced despite threats and two unsuccessful attempts on his life, prior to being gunned down at his New Plymouth home in 1996 while his children were home.
Luke, along with Brownie Mane, Robert Shane Maru and Symon George Manihera were convicted of Crean's murder and sent to prison in 1997.
Dean Wickliffe, one of New Zealand's most high-profile criminals and prison escapees. This photo was taken last year before he was recalled to prison. Photo / Brett Phibbs
His raft of convictions include robbery, burglary, theft, drug offending and manslaughter.
Wickliffe's longest and most serious lag started in 1972 after he killed Paul Miet during the robbery of a jewellery store in Wellington.
He is also the only man to have escaped from the country's toughest prison twice.
In an exclusive interview with the Herald during his short parole stint last year, Wickliffe revealed his fractious and traumatic childhood led him down the dark path of crime and the destruction of himself and others.
Interview: Dean Wickliffe on his life behind bars - Part 2
Dean Wickliffe, one of New Zealand's most high-profile criminals and prison escapee talks about his life behind bars. He is the only person to have escaped Paremoremo maximum security prison twice and he was New Zealand's longest-serving ...
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Herald NOW: Personal finance with Forsyth Barr, Wednesday, June 18
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NOW PLAYING • Interview: Dean Wickliffe on his life behind bars - Part 2
Dean Wickliffe, one of New Zealand's most high-profile criminals and prison escapee talks about his life behind bars. He is the only person to have escaped Paremoremo maximum security prison twice and he was New Zealand's longest-serving ...
The first crime Wickliffe ever committed was alongside a cousin, who was a couple of years older.
They broke into a warehouse where Wickliffe had been working and pinched £350 - the equivalent of an average yearly wage at the time - and fled to Auckland.
The pair enjoyed the spoils of their crime, the freedom it gave them to have money for once, to be able to buy food and all of the other things young lads want in life.
After three months the cash was all spent, but by then Wickliffe was "hooked on the lifestyle".
6 Roberto Conchie Harris
Days behind bars 12,414
Harris is best known for being Witness C - a jailhouse snitch who gave crucial evidence that sealed the fate of David Tamihere.
Tamihere spent two decades in prison for the murders of Swedish backpackers Sven Urban Höglin, 23, and his fiancée Heidi Birgitta Paakkonen, 21, which he has always denied committing.
Convicted murderer David Tamihere at the Auckland High Court hearing for the trial of Roberto Conchie Harris aka Witness C. Photo / Jason Oxenham
But the Crown seconded three secret jailhouse informants to give "powerful" testimony at Tamihere's trial - testimony that sent him to prison for life.
After many years and a lengthy legal battle, the Herald was able to reveal Harris as Witness C.
Aside from his role in the Tamihere case, Harris was a serious offender in his own right.
He was jailed for the murders of Northland couple Carole Anne Pye and Trevor Martin Crossley in the early 80s.
Witness C aka Roberto Conchie Harris. Photo / Peter Meecham
Pye's three children, then aged 10, 9 and 7, found their mum and her partner's bodies with gunshot wounds to their heads when they returned home from school on February 22, 1983.
His trial for the double murder didn't go without incident either.
It was delayed after he was injured while attempting to escape from Mt Eden Prison in September 1983.
A Parole Board report from 2016 said Holdem, then aged in his late 50s, has a "lifelong personality disorder with low intelligence".
In 2007, he was assessed by a psychologist, who found: "Mr Holdem probably has had more treatment for his sexual offending than almost any other offender of this type, with little apparent gain."
Peter Joseph Holdem on the day of his arrest for the murder of Louisa Damodran in 1986. Photo / File
Holdem was eligible for parole in October 1996 and has now been in prison for more than 30 years.
When he first came up for parole the officer in charge of the case spoke about Holdem.
Former detective Mel Griebel, now retired, said he still had nightmares about the case.
"Whatever the psychiatrists and psychologists say, they can't guarantee he won't kill again," he said.
