14 Jul 2012

Mayor wants to stop rapist moving to area

8:21 am on 14 July 2012

Marlborough's mayor is vowing to do all he can to stop serial rapist Stewart Murray Wilson returning to the area after his release from jail.

Wilson has served 16 years' jail for seven rapes, bestiality, stupefying, assault and ill-treatment of children over a period of 25 years.

He is due to be released on 1 September under strict release conditions for three years, followed by an extended supervision order beginning in September 2015 which will remain in place for 10 years.

The former Blenheim detective who led the investigation into Wilson's offending, Colin McKay, says extended supervision order will make his victims feel safer.

"There is certainly concern out there amongst many of those victims from his previous offending as to what he may or may not do upon his release, and of course their concern is that none of them want him to come back near them."

Marlborough district mayor Alistair Sowman believes there's a high risk Wilson will re-offend and says the decision to impose the 10-year extended supervision provides little comfort for his victims.

"There's a lot of people here have got memories of that offending ... really we just don't want him back here."

He says he will consult lawyers to see what legal action he can take to stop the 65-year-old returning to Blenheim.

In a High Court decision on Friday granting the supervision order, Justice Lang described Wilson as a rare and special case who poses a very high risk of reoffending.

The Corrections Department is still to decide where Wilson will be allowed to live.