The Wanganui Council say they have accepted convicted sex offender Stewart Murray Wilson will soon be part of the local community.
The Corrections Department will go ahead with plans to move the 'Beast of Blenheim' into a house within the grounds of Wanganui Prison on Wednesday after a Judge threw out a judicial review into his release.
Wanganui Mayor Annette Main told TVNZ's Close Up programme that it was time to accept the decision as there were no legal options left for the council to explore.
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"Now we have to think about how we as a community ensure that we're safe and that the Department of Corrections and the police follow up on their plan to keep us that way," Main said.
However, the council is still considering a blanket trespass ban and are planning to hand out trespass notices to local businesses tomorrow morning.
Councillor Ray Stevens told ONE News the trespass bans enable local businesses to stop Wilson from having any reason to head into the community.
"It's giving all the businesses in town and shops an option to ban the Beast and keep him out of town so he's got no reason or no excuse to come to town."
An urgent council meeting will be held tomorrow afternoon to discuss further legal options available to stop Wilson from moving into the community.
The council have until Wednesday to grant building consent to the two bedroom home where Wilson will live.
They say they have no grounds to decline the consent.
Wilson is currently inside Wanganui Prison after spending 21 years in prison for offending against women and girls.
Judicial review a 'dead end'
Wellington High Court Judge Ron Young today dismissed a judicial review into the release of the serial sex offender.
He said the council's quest to pursue a judicial review was a "dead end".
"I just don't understand that submission," said Young.
"With respect you're wasting your time going down that route, it's a dead end."
The council had hoped Young would have overruled a decision to move Wilson's into Wanganui as they claim the Corrections Department and the Parole Board did not follow proper procedure.
They say the Parole Board did not consider where Wilson could be placed in order to ensure "the safety of the New Zealand community as a whole".
Strict parole conditions upheld
Wilson's lawyer Andrew MacKenzie was also in court today hoping to have nine of his client's strict release conditions relaxed.
Wilson's release conditions include not leaving the Wanganui district, not associating with anyone under 16 unless supervised by an approved adult and not having a female at his address. A GPS tracking device will also be used to monitor his whereabouts.
MacKenzie said Wilson had greater freedoms in jail.
"Frankly he's better in jail.
"He can at least talk to people in jail. He's in a unit with 40 other people; he can talk to them, play scrabble."
Judge Young upheld all of the parole conditions apart from a condition to have two minders accompany him on reintegration trips into the community.
MacKenzie today said the ruling was a "victory" as the minder condition was the most restrictive.
"I think he's (Wilson) had a fair hearing today so I don't think he can complain about how the court's treated him."
The Parole Board will reconsider the condition at an emergency meeting tomorrow.