TEN YEARS AFTER KARL KUCHENBECKER’S MURDER NOT A THING HAS CHANGED

3rd January 2017
On 6 January 2007 Graeme Burton shocked the nation, venturing on his murderous rampage throughout the quiet Wainuiomata hills.

On that Saturday, Burton shot dead, 26-year-old Karl Kuchenbecker, a much loved father of two and went on to seriously wound four other innocent members of the public. This occurred only months following Burton's release from prison on life parole.

Burton previously served just 14 years for the unprovoked fatal stabbing of Paul Anderson, a young and innocent (off duty) nightclub lighting technician in 1992.

Sensible Sentencing Trust Founder, Garth McVicar said;
"Ironically part of Burton's parole release conditions, were that he was not to consume any illicit drugs or alcohol, yet there was no law allowing or ordering him to be screened. Within months his methamphetamine fuelled rampage cost the innocent life of Karl Kuchenbecker and serious injury to his four other victims on that day."

Only months before Burton being granted life parole in July 2006, he ordered a "Hit" on two Corrections Officers. He also badly injured several of his fellow inmates. Burton himself protested his being set free. He warned his Parole Officer he might kill a neighbour out of fear for his own safety, and begged to be returned to jail, but yet remained on release.
Burton had over 100 previous convictions.

Scott Guthrie, who is the Drug Issues Spokesperson for SST said, “While New Zealand suffers from and maintains its high rate of violent crime, nothing has changed within our judicial or parole system. As New Zealand citizens we are forced to sit back and watch whilst an offender friendly Justice System continues to cause emotional stress to our victims, and their families, of serious crime on a daily basis."

Guthrie went on to say, "We can only hope that the Minister of Justice stands up and implements serious changes needed to keep the greater New Zealand public safe and starts to hear and give the victims of serious crime a louder voice within the parole system. Now is the time for that change. Let us as a nation take our stand by showing respect to the memory and lives of both Karl Kuchenbecker and Paul Anderson by saying, enough is enough."

McVicar said New Zealand’s high crime rate was creating a flow on effect in the prison population, huge costs to the tax-payer and massive issues within wider society. “If this Nation is ever to get on top of its high crime/prison problem we need to have a very hard look at the contributing factors. The break down in traditional families, drugs and alcohol are common factors in most crimes but there seemed to be very little political will to face these issues.” ENDS

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