Have no fear, killer boxer tells victims | Wairarapa News | Local News in Wairarapa

A woman boxer, who beat a Masterton man to death, has been denied parole despite a sorrowful vow "her victims have nothing to fear".

Diamond Orupe, 22, was sentenced to 28 months' jail in December for manslaughter after she repeatedly punched Koria Matiaha at his Stuart Crescent home on June 4 last year.

The 25-year-old died of head injuries three days later.

Mr Matiaha's parents, Cyril and Bella Matiaha, last month told the Times-Age they considered Orupe dangerous and said she should be denied early release.

The couple believed a grudge is still held by Orupe and her co-accused, Te Whairangi Biddle, 20, who has since left the region after completing 200 hours' community service and nine months' supervision for a related charge of assault that was downgraded from manslaughter.

Orupe has 19 months remaining to serve on her sentence and last month appeared at her first parole hearing.

She is notionally considered as being at a moderate to low risk of general reoffending, the board heard, and came to prison with a criminal history dating from 2007 involving fighting, drink-driving, breach and non-compliance.

The board heard Orupe is today a drug-free, "generally well-behaved" prisoner, who is regarded as a good worker. She had signed on to a life education course and is keen to start a drug-treatment course later this year.

Orupe told the board "she will work hard to ensure she does not offend again in such a way" and said her victims had nothing to fear from her.

Orupe is sorry for her offending and accepts her victims have been devastated by what she has done, the board heard.

"She only wants to put things right."

However, Orupe has unaddressed offending issues that create "good reason to suppose she will continue to offend in now familiar style".

"Her seriously violent offending with a very serious consequence, her unaddressed offending issues, and her history of breach and non-compliance, count against the notion of community-based intervention.

The parole board finding was that she posed an undue risk to the safety of the community and parole "must be declined".

The board ordered drug treatment reports and updated parole assessment reports for her next parole hearing in 12 months.