Pora gets parole

Stuff reports:

Convicted killer Teina Pora has been granted parole this morning.

He has spent 21 years in prison for the 1994 rape and murder of Susan Burdett in her South Auckland home, which he says he did not commit.

Pora’s lawyer, Jonathan Krebs, said he was pleased and relieved by the Parole Board’s decision.

“It’s the outcome we’ve been trying for for the last 13 times we’ve come to the Parole Board, so one never expects a result, one always hopes,” he said.

“And we were hopeful today.

“We’re now obviously going to let the dust settle a bit and then we’ll continue to focus on the Privy Council hearing later in the year,” he said.

The parole decision is a pragmatic one, bearing in mind the uncertainty over his conviction and the length of time he has spent in jail. I hope he is given good support now he is released.