Parole Board warns Christchurch murderer Peter Waihape remains a danger 20 years after horrific killing
The New Zealand Parole Board has denied parole to Peter Waihape, a convicted murderer who killed a young woman in Christchurch 20 years ago. Officials warn that he remains a significant danger to the public and is prone to escalating violence.
Why it matters
It highlights the ongoing public safety concerns regarding the release of high-risk violent offenders and the limitations of rehabilitation in severe criminal cases.
It has been 20 years since Peter Steven Waihape was jailed for life for the murder of a young Christchurch sex worker and mother - tying her up and laughing as he repeatedly ran her over while she pleaded for her life, before dumping her body in the Avon River.
Three days before the murder , the then-29-year-old kidnapped and raped a teenager walking home.
He has now told the Parole Board that a driver of his offending was “his desire to return to prison”.
The killer promises he has been working on “changing his view of women which he previously viewed as simply sexual objects” and to “understand why he offended as he did”.
But it has been revealed that Waihape is still considered a danger to the public and that “further offending may involve use of weapons and rapidly escalate to callous and fatal violence”.
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