Karla Cardno’s killer Paul Joseph Dally again denied parole

Paul Dally, right, murdered Karla Cardno in 1989.

By Kate Green of RNZ

• The Parole Board denied parole to killer Paul Joseph Dally because of concerns about his accommodation and support.
• Dally, in his mid-60s, has been preparing for release with a senior psychologist.
• He may appear before the board again by October 31 to finalise his release plan.

The Parole Board has again denied parole to child-killer Paul Joseph Dally because it remained concerned about the level of support available to him while he reintegrated, though work was under way to prepare him for that.

Dally was sentenced to life imprisonment on March 8, 1990, for killing Lower Hutt teenager Karla Cardno the previous year. For the past year, he has been held in a self-care unit at Auckland South Corrections Facility in Wiri, with a minimum security classification.

Karla, 13, was riding her bike home when Dally snatched her and dragged her to his house.

There, he repeatedly raped and tortured her for 22 hours. He later put her naked, bound and gagged in the boot of his car and buried her alive in a shallow grave at Pencarrow Head, at the entrance to Wellington Harbour.

When Dally appeared before the Parole Board in June 2024, it heard about his efforts to prepare for an eventual release. However, on that date, he did not seek parole.

Dally, now in his mid-60s, has been warned to expect a very different world from the one he knew when he was imprisoned.

He appeared before the board again last month and, according to the Parole Board decision released today, he had been engaging with a senior psychologist on understanding his risks, warning signs and coping strategies.

His lawyer, Emma Priest, submitted during the April hearing that, while her client was not seeking parole, he was “almost ready”, although he remained dependent on support from his case manager to prepare for reintegration.

However, the board denied him parole once again, largely because of issues around accommodation. It also found his safety plan was inadequate.

“A central issue that is still to be determined is Mr Dally’s accommodation arrangements when he returns to the community,” the decision reads.

The board had “considerable doubt” that the required level of support and oversight necessary in Dally’s case would be available.

He could appear before the Parole Board again in six months, by October 31, which the board hoped would provide sufficient time to complete his work with the psychologist, and with his case manager in developing his release plan.

-RNZ; additional reporting NZ Herald