Bailey Kurariki. Photo / Janna Dixon
A hearing to determine whether Baily Junior Kurariki will be recalled to prison to complete his sentence for manslaughter will be held within three weeks.
Kurariki is back behind bars after allegedly breaching his parole conditions on Friday night by using drugs.
He is the country's youngest convicted
killer and was only 13 when he was jailed for seven years for manslaughter over the death of Michael Choy in 2001.
He was released three months ago on conditions including he not use or possess "alcohol and/or illicit drugs".
He was also under electronic monitoring and had to attend weekly counselling sessions.
Kurariki's arrest came after his probation officer lodged a complaint with the Parole Board.
He was taken to Auckland's Mt Eden Prison and would remain there until the Parole Board held a recall meeting in two or three weeks' time, a board spokeswoman said today.
Held before a judge and two laypeople, Kurariki would be present to hear submissions made by the Probation Service about the alleged breach.
They would then decide whether to release Kurariki again, or recall him to finish his sentence, due for completion in September.
Kim Workman, former national director of the Prison Fellowship, was critical of the reported huge police turnout for Kurariki's arrest on Friday.
The family said a helicopter hovered overhead, as between 30 and 40 police officers surrounded the house where Kurariki was arrested before the house was searched for drugs.
"They have behaved as though they were dealing with one of the FBI's 10 most wanted, an unusual response for someone suspected of smoking pot," Mr Workman said.
Mr Choy's mother, Rita Croskery, said she was not surprised by Kurariki's arrest.
"I would have hoped, though, that he would have tried to turn things around, especially given the fact he was being monitored so closely," she said.
- NZPA
