No parole for Karla Cardno’s killer – but temporary releases approved to master shopping, banking, trains

The man who kidnapped, raped and murdered Lower Hutt teenager Karla Cardno will have a number of short releases into the community to organise bank and transport access cards ahead of a possible release.

Paul Joseph Dally murdered Karla in 1989.

The 13-year-old was riding her bike home from her local shops when Dally snatched her and dragged her to his house.

There, he repeatedly raped and tortured Karla for 22 hours.

He later put her naked, bound and gagged in the boot of his car and buried her alive in a shallow grave at Pencarrow Head, the entrance to Wellington Harbour.

Before he killed Karla, Dally had four pages of convictions to his name – for violent offending mostly shortly before the murder, and some property offending.

He has been denied parole numerous times over the years, considered too dangerous to release back into the community.

Dally appeared before the Parole Board this morning and the Herald was permitted to attend via audio-visual link.

While reporting on the hearing was allowed, the board restricted the publication of some information including “any direct quotes” from Dally about “his personal background, mental/physical health, rehabilitation” and any comments he made about his offending.

Dally’s lawyer Emma Priest advised the murderer was not seeking release today – he did not have accommodation organised outside the wire and had further work to do in prison.

She sought a three-month stand down so Dally could find an appropriate and supported living situation.

He also wanted to complete a number of temporary guided releases – to arrange a bank card and a train pass.

It was noted he had been in prison for more than 30 years and in that time the world had changed a lot so he had a lot to learn and re-learn.

The board heard that he was currently living in a self-care wing of the prison he was in – sharing quarters with six other men.

Dally had more freedom in the wing to run his own life including cooking.

Prisoners in his situation are given $60 a week to cover food and household essentials.

Priest told the board that it was “quite a challenge” for Dally but he was “enjoying learning to shop and cook on a budget”.

“He’s burned a lot of food, but he’s now effectively learning to live by himself,” she said.

The board asked Dally how he’d found his 10 weeks in self-care.

He explained that he was able to move around and walk more, which had been beneficial to his health.

Dally was also enjoying being responsible for himself, having his own room with a key and not being locked in a cell for hours a day.

It was a marked change to his previous years in prison but he was slowly getting used to it.

Priest said Dally had been seeing a psychologist and wanted “a couple more sessions” to complete his post-release safety plan.

He hoped to present that to the board in three months.

The board said his current plan was inadequate – and if a person with no knowledge of his offending read it, they would have no idea he was “a serious violent and sexual offender”.

They said Dally needed to work with his support team to strengthen his plan, suggesting he would need to live in a supported environment for at least a year given he has been incarcerated for 33 years.

Dally assured the board he had done much work on himself in prison in relation to how he reacts to situations.

He told the board he was illiterate when he was sent to prison and remained so. He struggled with written communication, finding it easier to verbalise thoughts and feelings.

Sir Ron and other board members felt Dally had a lot more work to do – like learning how to shop at a supermarket – managing the variety of items, crowds, queues and the like – and looking more deeply into his offending.

The board felt Dally also needed to focus more on his safety plan and reintegration before he saw them again.

“As you mentioned the real world has changed a lot since you were in it,” Dally was told.

He also needed to find an appropriate place to live where he would have adequate support and supervision, and provide an updated psychological report.

A three-month stand-down was not enough time for that and the board ruled it would see Dally again in April 2025.

Anna Leask is a Christchurch-based reporter who covers national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 18 years with a particular focus on family violence, child abuse, sexual violence, homicides, mental health and youth crime. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on nzherald.co.nz