Dunedin murderer George Trounson on parole for the seventh time

Dunedin murderer George Charles Trounson will be released on parole for the seventh time. Photo / Otago Daily Times

Dunedin murderer George Charles Trounson will be released on parole this month for the seventh time.

Trounson beat his flatmate Russell Neil, 17, to death with part of a wooden balustrade in Dunedin in 1990, Radio NZ reports.

Trounson, now 45, was a 19-year-old polytechnic student when he was sentenced to life imprisonmnet in 1991.

He has been released six times and been recalled every time. He spent more than 10 months on the run in 2013.

Trounson would be supported outside prison by an intensive reintegration support programme, the Parole Board said.

"Overall, there has been a positive shift in his behaviour and attitude since a long-standing medical issue has been resolved," the board said in its decision released this morning.

"The principal factor leading to Mr Trounson's offending and all of his recalls has been the disinhibiting effects of alcohol.

"It seems that, at long last, he has shown that he can apply the lessons learned in the treatment and counselling he has engaged in since he has been in custody."

Trounson would remain subject to parole conditions for life and faced further restrictions - including a ban on alcohol and an order to notify his probation officer before entering any intimate relationships - for five years following release.

Trounson will appear before the parole board again in March 2018 to assess his release.