Charity's link to murderer Joseph Brider revealed

Charity's link to murderer Joseph Brider revealed

By Niva Chittock

The High Court has ruled that a charity that helps reintegrate prisoners into society can be named in connection with convicted murderer and rapist Joseph Brider.

Brider brutally murdered Juliana Bonilla-Herrera in her Christchurch home in January 2022, just nine weeks after he was paroled from prison for rape.

It can now be reported that he lived next door to Bonilla-Herrera in a flat owned by Pathway Trust, who had also worked with Brider for five months before his release from Christchurch Men's Prison.

Bonilla-Herrera was unaware of his previous offense.

Pathway Trust had obtained a High Court order preventing his name from being published due to “undue hardship if mentioned in connection with the murder”.

“It argued that the negative publicity would cause reputational damage and reduce its ability to achieve its purposes, which depend on the receipt of donations,” the Supreme Court ruling said.

However, the Supreme Court ruled that there was a “legitimate public interest” in disclosing Pathway's involvement with Brider.

“The court accepted that decisions regarding Brider's housing, his release conditions and public notice ultimately rested with the Department of Corrections and the Parole Board,” the ruling said.

According to the report, there is little evidence that Pathway did anything wrong.

Pathway remained deeply shocked and saddened by Bonilla-Herrera's death, reintegration spokesperson Anaru Baynes said.

“More than two years later, our deepest sympathies and condolences remain with her family and friends,” he said.

Pathway's work at Christchurch Men's Prison focused on preparing prisoners to re-enter the community, and once there, providing support to reduce the chance of re-offending and helping them rebuild their lives, Baynes said.

“Joseph Brider betrayed the values ​​of Pathway, everyone involved in his rehabilitation and the community by committing a deplorable crime.”

Although he chose not to “make a real fresh start”, there were many others who benefited from the practical support Pathway provided to “reverse the cycle of reoffending”, he said.

The Parole Board previously claimed Corrections had provided incorrect information when deciding Brider's release conditions, but an independent review in 2023 found this was untrue.

However, that investigation found that the information provided contained “ambiguities”.

Corrections and the Parole Board said at the time that they would “strengthen information sharing processes”.

“The Chairman of the Parole Board and I agree that current Corrections guidance for our frontline staff could be clearer about what information is shared with the Parole Board in high-risk cases, to ensure that various release proposals can be fully be examined before deciding to release someone on parole. ” said Jeremy Lightfoot, CEO of Corrections.

Following a separate independent review, Corrections also changed its community reporting policy in 2023 to include adult sex offenders.