The Beast of Blenheim - He has to go somewhere

Tempers flare over beast release

Angry Wanganui residents have vowed to do whatever it takes to stop the Beast of Blenheim moving to the area when he is released from prison next month.

Tempers flared at a community meeting today to debate how to counter serial sex offender Stewart Murray Wilson's parole to the Wanganui district.

Those at the meeting, called last week by councillors Michael Laws and Ray Stevens, endorsed $10,000 of ratepayers' money to fund a judicial review of the conditions for Wilson's release. The 65-year-old known as the Beast of Blenheim is to be released from prison on September 1 after being sentenced to 21 years in March 1996.

 He was convicted for 25 years of sexual offending against women and girls, including offences of rape, stupefying, wilful ill-treatment of a child and bestiality.

The Corrections Department ruled Wilson will live in a state house on Whanganui Prison property and must be accompanied by minders if he leaves.

Despite assurances he will be subject to the strictest parole conditions of any New Zealand prisoner ever released, the Wanganui community is fighting the decision.

Councillor Jack Bullock called for urgent action at today's meeting, which was attended by about 200 people. 

Mr Bullock and six other councillors signed a direction to the chief executive of the Wanganui District Council to call a full meeting "at the earliest opportunity for the purpose of discussing and deciding policy'' to stop Wilson moving into the region.

The meeting adopted two resolutions: that the community reject the parole and that the council take "all actions - legal, political and administrative - to ensure that Wilson is not paroled to the district''. 

Two police officers attended the meeting, which heard heated opinions from angry residents.

Resident Kathy Vervoek said she had lived near the prison her whole life and had a 17-year-old daughter, one of five girls, still living at home with her. Her daughter was a sporty, outgoing girl who regularly ran past the prison and collected pinecones from the forest. 

She would no longer be doing either of those things. "She's already a victim because she's already frightened,'' Ms Vervoek said. Wilson has launched a legal challenge against his strict parole conditions.

From what i understand - Whanganui has been chosen because it is one of the very few places in the country where there are no victims of Stewart Wilson living.

So what do the Whanganui councillors and residents suggest? That his victims suffer further by having him located near them?

Were any alternatives suggested during this meeting or was this just a lynch mob? From the sounds of it and from what i saw on the news last night - it was just a screaming lynch mob.

Facts are - that the Beast of Blenheim is going to be released in just over two weeks and there is nothing that anyone in New Zealand can do about that. As wrong as that  is - i can think of nowhere better for him than on the prison grounds in a town that is full of rednecks and gang members (with the exception of the lovely people that i have met from there!) - and that is as far away from his victims as possible.

I am sure if there were any better ideas - the good councillors of Whanganui would have come up with some suggestions in time for yesterday's lynch mob meeting.

He has to go SOMEWHERE.