Jorgensen decision still before Cabinet

Press, 14 December 1982, Page 2

Jorgensen decision still before Cabinet

Parliamentary reporter No decision has been made on whether the convicted murderer, Ronald Jorgensen, will be given his third parole. The recommendation of the • Prisons Parole Board ■was passed to the Minister of Justice. Mr McLay. last Wednesday. It was included on the Cabinet agenda yesterday. but at the post-Cabi-, net press conference yesterday. the Prime Minister, Mr Muldoon, said that no decision had been reached. Mr McLay declined to say whether the issue had been discussed by the Cabinet or whether it would come up again at its next meeting, on Monday. This is Jorgensen’s third appeal for parole. On both previous occasions, the board recommended his parole and the Cabinet ratified it. It is believed that Mr McLay must take the Parole Board decision to the Cabinet for ratification if the board has recommended that Jorgensen be given parole. If the recommendation was not to allow parole, it would not have to be endorsed by the Cabinet. Jorgensen was sentenced to life imprisonment for the Bassett Road machine-gun murders in Auckland, in 1964. He was released on parole in 1974. but was recalled to prison two years later after being convicted on drugs charges. In May this year he was again paroled. A month later he was arrested on an assault charge in Kaikoura and he was immediately recalled to prison. He was acquitted of the assault charge and appealed for parole last month.