JONES, Simon. Sunday Star – Times; Wellington, New Zealand. 03 May 1998:
ONE of the nation’s most dangerous criminals conned a parole board into believing he was due to be released 18 months early.
Arthur Taylor (42), who masterminded and took part in armed robberies spanning 10 years, claimed he should be eligible for parole this October because some of his convictions had been quashed.
Taylor was sentenced in July 1993 to nine years’ imprisonment for masterminding the 1991 robbery of a Bank of New Zealand branch in Te Kauwhata, 40km north of Hamilton, in which $36,000 was stolen.
He is a very dangerous offender who would not hesitate to kill a member of the police or public
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ONE of the nation’s most dangerous criminals conned a parole board into believing he was due to be released 18 months early.
Arthur Taylor (42), who masterminded and took part in armed robberies spanning 10 years, claimed he should be eligible for parole this October because some of his convictions had been quashed.
A hearing on April 24 discussed conditions of freedom. Now the board says the matter is being reviewed.
Taylor was sentenced in July 1993 to nine years’ imprisonment for masterminding the 1991 robbery of a Bank of New Zealand branch in Te Kauwhata, 40km north of Hamilton, in which $36,000 was stolen.
In July 1994 another two years were added for his part in robbing a Remuera antiques shop and an extra year in March 1995 for attempting to pervert the course of justice by interfering with a jury.
He shouldn’t be eligible for parole until he has served two thirds of his overall 12-year sentence, and with the time he spent on remand, that is late 1999 at the earliest.
A police source said: “We were completely shocked when we heard about the hearing. We understand he fooled the board into believing the last two convictions had been quashed.
“This man is a highly dangerous career criminal who shouldn’t get parole at all.”
In papers leaked to the Sunday Star-Times, Hamilton detective Paul Camplin wrote to the board: “His release on parole now would make a mockery of the justice system showing the futility of all the hard work done by the authorities to apprehend this man.
“He is a very dangerous offender who would not hesitate to kill either a member of the police or public.”
Inspector Kelvin Powell of Waikato Police HQ said: “There is a very high likelihood of him reoffending and it is our view he should serve his full sentence.
Taylor has been convicted of more than 25 offences dating back to 1972, including aggravated robbery, possessing firearms, burglary, aggravated assault and wilfully setting fire to property.
He has a reputation for being one of the country’s most intelligent criminals. During the 1993 trial he conducted his own defence and a judge said his efforts were superior to most counsel.
Senior Sergeant Rex Knight investigated the 1991 Te Kauwhata robbery. He said: “We eventually managed to link Taylor by eye witness reports of him handing over the weapon. Yet this man is a master of disguise. He even applied for a new drivers’ licence in which he changed the description of the colour of his eyes and then wore coloured contact lenses in court.
“While on remand he managed to escape by using false bail documents. We are talking about one of the top 10 most dangerous and cunning criminals in the country. As soon as he is out of jail he will start re-offending.”
Secretary of the Parole Board John Meek said the hearing may have been a mistake.
“We met as part of a routine procedure in which we discuss the details of a prisoner’s release six months before the final release date. In this case there is some doubt over the length of his sentence and we are looking into this matter.”