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Offender Databases William Harris

William Harris

Alias

.

Offences

Cut off his 76 year old wife's head in 1993.

Victims

.

Offender Affiliations

.

Gang affiliations

none known

Age

Born 1933

Current Location

unknown

Parole/Release Dates

Detained under treatment from 1993 until 2000

Background
From a Sunday Star Times article October 29 2000
A PARANOID schizophrenic who killed his wife and cut up her body is poised to get ministerial approval for release, even though the victim's family has pleaded for him to remain in secure care. Health professionals have recommended to Health Minister Annette King that William Harris, 67, be granted long leave, a status that will let him live in the community away from supervised care. Harris has been detained as a special patient within the mental health system since the killing seven years ago, and can receive long leave only with King's permission. She can revoke the leave if he breaches its conditions.

King would not discuss Harris' case. But a spokesman for her office said she always followed the advice of health professionals. Harris was found not guilty by reason of insanity of murdering his wife, Mavis Harris, 76, in Otago in April, 1993, and burying her body in three bags. Mavis Harris' head had been decapitated and her body dismembered. Mavis Harris' niece, Lana Oranje said she was shocked when the deputy director of Mental Health, Dr Anthony Duncan, told her last week he would recommend Harris be granted long leave. His recommendation was based on psychiatrists' reports and advice from Hillmorton Hospital, formerly Sunnyside, in Christchurch, where Harris has been for most of the past seven years.

Oranje and her family believe Harris is dangerous and have been fighting mental health authorities to keep him in a secure psychiatric hospital. For the past few months he has lived six days a week in a supervised home for psychiatric patients in Christchurch. The other day has been spent back at Hillmorton Hospital. "We didn't want Bill in the supervised home where he has been and we certainly don't want him out in the community on his own. We believe he should be in secure hospital care for both Bill's safety and the community's safety," she said. "I urge Annette King to have the backbone to say no. If anyone had any brains they wouldn't let a time bomb into the community."

Neither Duncan nor HealthLink South's group manager of mental health, Vince Barry, could discuss Harris' case for privacy reasons. Oranje said Duncan had told her there were three conditions on which Harris would be released into long leave. He would have to: live in a place specified by a clinician; make appointments with a psychiatric nurse and clinician so he could be monitored; and remain on medication. At the time of the killing Harris had stopped taking anti- psychotic medication and had not been seen by a psychiatrist at Dunedin Hospital, where he was being treated, for nearly three years. Harris was 16 years younger than his wife. They had no children

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Corrections and Additional Information
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