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John MacDonald: This parole board decision beggars belief

Author: John MacDonald,
Publish Date: Fri, 5 Jun 2026, 12:26pm

If you ever needed proof that victims of crime are taking a back seat to the criminals, this is it.

And if you ever needed proof that the parole board is out of touch with the rest of us, this is it.

Because on Tuesday this week, convicted rapist George Murphy Starling was released from Christchurch’s Rolleston Prison after serving just two years of a six year sentence.

Why’s that? Because the parole board doesn’t consider him to be an undue risk to the public.

This is a man who drugged and raped two women in Christchurch who has been released from prison after serving two years of a six year sentence.

It gets worse.

But the question we need to be asking ourselves is this:

When it comes to deciding whether to release a criminal from prison, what’s more important? Public safety or the amount of time they’ve spent behind bars?

In this particular case, there’s only one answer. Because I don’t give a damn whether this guy is considered to be a threat or not, which is what the parole board thinks and that’s why it’s let him out early.

I give a damn about the fact that he went to the home of two women. He was waiting for them when they returned from a 21st party. He poured them drinks, vodka laced with sedatives, and after they became incapacitated and went to bed, he went in and raped them.

That’s not the only shocking part of this.

Because he’s not just a two time rapist. He’s a three time rapist.

In 2013, the same guy was sentenced to five years for another rape and got out after two.

So we’ve got a three time rapist out of prison this week because the parole board doesn’t consider him to be an undue risk to the public.

As the judge said when he was sentencing this guy two years ago for raping the two women in their flat, the offending was pre meditated, with him arriving at their place with alcohol mixed with a drug.

The judge said: “These rapes took place inside their own home. They were entitled to feel safe and secure in their own beds.”

Can you imagine how this guy’s victims must be feeling right now?

Well, according to one report I’ve seen, one of them asked the parole board not to let him out because she doesn’t think he’s ready to be released.

At the time this monster was sentenced, one of his victims said it had changed her life forever. That gives us some idea how they’ll be feeling.

As for the rapist himself, he has told the parole board that he now understands what consent is and that he must get consent if he wants to have sex with someone.

For goodness sake. And that’s enough to let him out early after serving two years of a six year sentence?

He’s a monster who should still be behind bars and this decision by the parole board is nothing short of monstrous.

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