Wife Murderer Colin Bouwer paroled and to be deported
South African Colin Bouwer, the psychiatrist who killed his wife with poison, has been released on parole in New Zealand.
Colin Bouwer
The New Zealand Parole Board confirmed the decision today to release Bouwer as he was no longer an undue risk to the community and would return to his home country of South Africa.
Bouwer was a practicing Jew who wore a yarmulke. More recently, his health had deteriorated in prison and diagnosed with stage four chronic kidney disease with a moderate deterioration in renal function over the past year.
The former University of Otago head of psychiatry committed the crime within two years of being granted a New Zealand residence permit. He was served a deportation order in 2002, which he opposed.
He was jailed in 2001 after being found guilty of administering a fatal combination of sedatives and hypoglycemia-inducing drugs to his wife, Annette, for months.
The drugs presented with the symptoms of a rare tumour. Bouwer was jailed with a minimum non-parole period of 13 years. The Crown increased that to 15 years on appeal.
It was because his wife was Jewish that Bouwer objected to an autopsy, maintaining she needed to be buried within 48 hours.
Her doctor, Andrew Bowers, ordered an autopsy instead of signing her death certificate.
During the trial, Bouwer was quoted by Brenda Ruddock, his wife’s sister back in South Africa saying: “It would be easy to commit the perfect murder in New Zealand because the police were not equipped to handle complicated cases”.
Bouwer had a history of impairment as a medical professional by South African Authorities in the 1980’s. His impaired status was revoked in 1992. He also had a history of abusing pethidine, a pain-relief drug.
The 67-year-old has been granted parole on the condition that he is released into the custody of police for immediate deportation from New Zealand. His deportation date is set for October 11, allowing time for travel arrangements to be made.
