Parole is being considered again for the man convicted of murdering friends Olivia Hope and Ben Smart at a New Year's Eve party in the Marlborough Sounds.
John Kirk-Anderson/Stuff
Scott Watson, who has spent 22 years in prison for murdering Ben Smart and Olivia Hope while denying he ever met the friends.
The Parole Board has asked Corrections to urgently deal with the situation of Scott Watson, the man convicted of murdering Ben Smart and Olivia Hope in the Marlborough Sounds on New Year’s Day 1998. Watson, 49, has always denied murdering the young friends but has been in prison for more than 22 years, despite being eligible for parole five years ago. Earlier this month, Watson appeared before the Parole Board for the third time. On the previous occasion, the board ruled Watson remained an undue risk and said he could not have another parole hearing for four years, a decision Watson and his supporters considered extremely harsh. The Parole Board this time said that while Watson was still an undue risk, it would see him again within a year.