Killer moves to Nelson to be with his mother
08 February 2024
8, 2024, • 10:53am
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Convicted murderer Glenn McNeill arrives in Christchurch after he was deported from Australia last Thursday.
PETER MEECHAM / STUFF
A killer who repeatedly stabbed a woman before dumping her body in a brutal attack on Norfolk Island, flew to Nelson on Monday after he was deported from Australia last week.
Nelson chef Glenn McNeill was convicted of killing Janelle Patton on the island in March 2002.
Her body was found wrapped in black plastic at a picnic area and examination showed she had died as a result of a brutal attack.
She had 64 wounds, among which were deep defensive cuts on her hands, a fractured skull and broken pelvis.
Evidence presented in the trial suggested she had fought hard for her life.
The case made headlines in Australia and New Zealand, as Patton was the first person to be murdered on Norfolk Island since 1893.
McNeill was on the move again on Monday.
PETER MEECHAM / STUFF
He was met by two women and was wearing an ankle bracelet.
McNeill quickly donned sunglasses when he realised a Stuff photographer was present.
On Monday afternoon, McNeill was flown from Christchurch to Nelson on an Air New Zealand flight where he will live.
Stuff understands he will live with his mother Lynn. However, she refused to confirm when contacted.
Previously Department of Corrections Deputy National Commissioner, David Grigg, said McNeill would be subject to a Returning Offenders Order enabling Corrections to manage and monitor him.
“Public safety is our top priority and a person who is subject to a Returning Offenders Order is managed in the same way as if they have been released from prison in New Zealand,” Grigg said.
The last time Glenn McNeill was in Nelson he was in court at his extradition hearing.
MARTIN DE RUYTER / THE NELSON MAIL
Patton had been on a daily walk on the day she was killed, but detectives wouldn’t get a crucial lead as to who had killed her for over two years.
The breakthrough came when a set of fingerprints was found on the black plastic that Patton’s body had been wrapped in before she was dumped in October 2004.
The prints belonged to McNeill, a father of two who was unknown to police. McNeill had been on the island since 2000 and was working in hospitality.
Six weeks after Patton’s murder he returned to Nelson.
Not long after Patton’s death, McNeill had been questioned about a burglary and his fingerprints were taken along with a DNA sample.
Janelle Patton fought for her life but was stabbed repeatedly and beaten with a blunt instrument.
NORFOLK ISLAND POLICE