FED:No parole for man convicted of cop death

AAP General News (Australia)
04-05-2011
FED:No parole for man convicted of cop death

SYDNEY, April 5 AAP - One of four men jailed over the shooting murder of a Sydney police
officer nine years ago has been refused parole by the State Parole Authority (SPA) until
he undertakes further rehabilitation.

The SPA said on Tuesday it had refused parole to Meli Lagi, one of four men convicted
over the murder of Senior Constable Glenn McEnally in Sydney in 2002.

"The State Parole Authority, in a meeting on March 4, 2011, decided to refuse parole
for Lagi until he undertakes further rehabilitation programs in prison aimed at addressing
violent behaviour," it said in a statement.

The decision was confirmed at a public hearing on Tuesday.

Constable McEnally, 26, was shot four times in the chest and head after he pursued
a stolen car at Hillsdale, in Sydney's southeast, in March 2002.

He died of his wounds in hospital a week later.

Lagi was acquitted of murdering Constable McEnally but was sentenced to almost 13 years
for firearms offences, with a non-parole period of almost nine years.

The earliest possible release date for Lagi was April 2, 2011, and he will again be
considered for parole in February 2012.

Co-offender Sione Penisini, serving a total sentence of 36 years, is eligible for parole
in 2029, the SPA said.

Brothers John and Motekiai Taufahema are serving a 14-year and 11-year sentences, respectively,
for their involvement in the murder, with both becoming eligible for parole in 2012.

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KEYWORD: MCENALLY

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