Why only 39 months?

The Herald reports:

A man who attacked a police officer with an axe said he planned to decapitate him and wave his head at other officers so they would shoot him.

It was one of the stunning revelations made by 25-year-old Ruairi Kern Taylor in an interview with a Corrections officer just weeks after the incident in September 2019.

The details of that discussion can now be revealed after the defendant was jailed for three years, three months before the High Court at Dunedin last month.

He got a mere 39 months for this. He could be eligible for parole after just 13 months.

“I’ve been planning to kill someone for three to four months before I did it,” he said.

“This was the first police officer I came across that was a good target.”

Doyle-Franklin, who gave evidence at a hearing in the High Court at Dunedin in July last year, attempted to have her interviewee rationalise his actions.

Why would he kill someone who had never wronged him?

“Because that’s something I could do that sits right for me … that just works for me,” Taylor said.

Doyle-Franklin said his manner was unnerving.

“His facial expression would get very animated — smirking and smiling — his eyes were really wide. It was quite clear from that he was getting enjoyment from retelling his offending,” she said.

Sounds like he’ll be safe to release!

Despite his ruling, shortly afterwards the Crown dropped the charge of attempted murder.

Taylor pleaded guilty to attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, intentional damage and assault with a weapon.

Because of the time he spent in custody awaiting resolution of the case, he will see the Parole Board this month.

Why did they drop the charge? His admission was admissible. A conviction would have been easy.