KEY POINTS:
The fiancee of slain pizza delivery man Michael Choy could not hold back the tears as she told the Parole Board how much she missed the man she was to marry on her birthday six years ago.
Mr Choy was bashed to death in September, 2001, three months
before he and Bernadette Simmons were to marry on her birthday on December 7.
Yesterday she told the Parole Board that one of his killers, Bailey Junior Kurariki, should stay in prison until his release date of September, next year.
She said he had shown no remorse and justice needed to be served by keeping him in prison for his entire sentence.
Kurariki has been in prison for six years and yesterday the Parole Board began to hear from victims of the crime.
Mr Choy was battered to death as he delivered a pizza to a south Auckland house in September, 2001.
It was Kurariki's third application to be released on parole after his manslaughter conviction as the country's youngest convicted killer.
Kurariki was 12 when he and five others lured Mr Choy to the south Auckland address and bashed him to death.
Ms Simmons said today her appearance before the Parole Board was the first time she had spoken publicly about her grief at the death of the man she was to marry.
"If they let him (Kurariki) out now to me it is not justice."
She said Kurariki had shown no remorse and had put her and Michael's mother Rita Croskery and her family through "absolute hell".
"It is a never-ending story."
She said it was emotional and painful to go before the Parole Board. On Sunday she sat at Mr Choy's grave for several emotional hours trying to summon the courage for her Parole Board appearance.
"I was saying 'this is for me, this is for Michael, this is for the family'.
"I had to let the board know how I feel and why I do not want him out.
"To me six years is like yesterday and I don't know when I will feel better."
She said Mr Choy was a kind, gentle and very compassionate man who loved people and who would do no harm to anyone.
She did not want to speak to Kurariki.
"I would not know where to start."
She said he had taken her life away and nothing he could do or say would change that.
Yesterday's hearing was for victims and there would be a further hearing for Kurariki to make his own submissions to the Parole Board.
- NZPA
