In the archives of courts and hospitals, some stories move quietly through the years.
They sit behind closed files and sealed names, carried forward only in the careful language of legal rulings and medical reports. Time passes outside those documents — decades of ordinary life unfolding — while inside them a single thread remains unresolved, waiting for the moment when silence gives way to clarity.
Recently, that moment arrived in New Zealand.
After years of name suppression, the identity of a man who was twice found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity has been publicly revealed as Leslie Parr. The disclosure followed a decision by the Court of Appeal dismissing an attempt to keep his identity permanently suppressed.
The case itself stretches across more than two decades, linking two separate killings through the long arc of mental illness and the legal system’s response to it.
Parr was first involved in a homicide many years ago, an event that led to him being found not criminally responsible due to insanity. In such circumstances, the court recognizes that while the act occurred, the individual’s mental state at the time prevented them from understanding the moral wrongfulness of their actions.
Following that first killing, Parr was detained as a special patient under New Zealand’s Mental Health Act. Such status places individuals in secure psychiatric care, where release into the community requires high-level approvals from authorities including the Minister of Health and the Director of Mental Health.
Years later, after a long period in the system and eventual release into the community under mental health supervision, a second tragedy occurred.
Court documents describe how Parr later killed another person during a period in which his mental health had significantly deteriorated. In the weeks leading up to the incident, he had been experiencing a severe relapse and had briefly been admitted to a mental health facility.
Not long after his release, the second killing took place. During the incident, Parr fatally stabbed the victim. Later, he reportedly told an associate that he believed the person he had killed was “possessed,” a statement that reflected the delusional thinking described by psychiatric experts in the case.
Two independent psychiatrists later assessed Parr during court proceedings. Both concluded he was suffering from a serious mental disorder at the time and that his actions were driven by delusions associated with severe psychosis.
The High Court ultimately ruled that the act of killing had been proven but that Parr was not criminally responsible because of insanity.
For the families affected by the case, the court heard statements describing shock, disbelief, and enduring grief following the loss of loved ones. The tragedies also raised broader questions about how mental health services respond when individuals with severe psychiatric conditions move between hospital care and community supervision.
During legal arguments over whether Parr’s identity should remain suppressed, prosecutors and media representatives emphasized the wider public interest in transparency, particularly as inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the case continue.
The Court of Appeal agreed that permanent suppression was not justified, allowing his name to be published.
The ruling means Leslie Parr’s identity can now be reported publicly. Legal proceedings related to the case may continue, and further appeals to the Supreme Court have been indicated.
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Source Check (verified mainstream coverage): RNZ News, The New Zealand Herald, Stuff, 1News, Otago Daily Times