Monica Cantwell killer denied parole, again

The man who raped and murdered a British backpacker in Mount Maunganui remains an "undue risk" to the community even after 30 years in prison, the parole board has found.

Charles John Coulam was arrested and sentenced after attacking Monica Cantwell on the summit of Mauao on November 20, 1989.

Cantwell was walking on the northern summit track when Coulam grabbed her, dragged her into the bushes and raped her. She was strangled to death and her semi-naked body was left in the bushes to be found three days later.

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Coulam was arrested shortly after and sentenced to life imprisonment for her murder.

This month, Coulam appeared before the Parole Board for his first hearing since he was very nearly released into the community late last year until a "concerning" discovery set back his efforts.

In his decision this month, board chairman Sir Ron Young confirmed Coulam had a complex mental illness. There was also difficulty in Coulam understanding or seeing how others might view his offending and view his subsequent behaviour, Young said.

Coulam was being provided with psychotherapy to try to help him understand how others might see his actions following his "recent access to pornography".

During a series of night releases last year, Coulam was found accessing increasingly explicit pornography. He was found to be using his phone to access the internet repeatedly over two weeks.

As part of Coulam's conditions for such releases, he was expected to adhere to a safety plan which included a ban on viewing pornography. He had been caught on a review of electronic equipment at the address and as a result of being caught, Coulam then tried removing the evidence of his actions.

In the board's August decision following the incident, Young said: "Overall, we think this conduct is concerning, especially the latter aspect" and Coulam was detained.

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This month, Young said Coulam understood and accepted what he did was wrong.

The board decided Coulam would have increased overnight leave "working towards, in the long term, some form of supported accommodation".

"In the meantime, he remains an undue risk."

Coulam first became eligible for parole in 1999 and has faced several unsuccessful hearings.

In its 2016 decision, the board noted Coulam had an excessive compulsive disorder "with elements of sexual sadism and autism spectrum".

Coulam will next appear before the parole board at the end of April next year.

The role of the parole board is to encourage people to address their offending and its causes and to rehabilitate themselves to live in society without being a risk to the community.