Father of murdered teenager Connor Boyd ‘disgusted’ by decision to grant parole to man jailed for manslaughter after knocking down 18-year-old

“Mr Grace, you will understand that this is a very difficult decision,” Young told Grace at the end of the hearing, Stuff reported.

“This will not be a joyous occasion for this boy’s parents and family. Don’t forget that.

Addressing the Herald following the hearing, Boyd’s father, John Boyd, said it was an “absolutely disgusting result”.

“It is absolutely disgusting that the primary offender is paroled and the secondary offender is denied parole,” Boyd said.

“This individual was a supposed friend of my son and had known him for a long time.”

Boyd said he still believed his son had been murdered and expressed disgust at “New Zealand’s system of injustice”.

“The sentence they received for killing a human being was totally disgusting, the sentence reductions they got were totally disgusting. In other countries around the world, justice is swift, but this is not the case in New Zealand. There is no justice in New Zealand.

He said it was a “total sham” that Grace was only serving a third of her 30-month prison sentence.

A Parole Board spokesperson told the Herald a supervision hearing was due to take place in June 2025.

“The Commission has set conditions for the release of Mr. Grace. These conditions will apply for six months following Mr. Grace’s statutory release date of August 13, 2026,” the spokesperson said.

Stuff reported that Grace told today’s hearing he fully regretted what he had done and how Boyd’s family might feel at the prospect of his parole.

“I understand the devastation caused…I am fully sorry for my actions which caused this terrible event.

“No amount of time can make up for what happened,” Grace said.

He said he regretted not stopping after Boyd’s fall.

“I know that would have been the best option too. I should have stopped immediately and done what I could to help.

He told the Commission that he learned to keep his emotions from turning into something bad while he was incarcerated.

The conditions of his release included not traveling south of an east-west line along the southern boundary of Auckland Harbour, Stuff reported. He will also be subject to electronic monitoring, a curfew between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and must not consume drugs or alcohol.

‘Unnecessary teen drama’ caused Boyd’s death

At their trial last October, prosecutors said it was nothing more than “unnecessary teen drama” that prompted Grace and Shute to grab Boyd’s arm and leave as he stood next to their SUV outside a Britomart nightclub. He jumped onto the vehicle’s running board to avoid being dragged, but fell onto the street shortly after, suffering severe head trauma.

Grace, who was driving, claimed he feared for his safety and that of his passengers after Boyd voiced a threat through the open window and allegedly began throwing punches. Shute, meanwhile, testified that she never grabbed Boyd’s arm and was in shock when her co-defendant did so.

Grace continued driving. Seven minutes later, Shute called 111, saying “a guy tried to screw over my boyfriend”.

But the jurors, who repeatedly watched the horrific CCTV footage of the fall, did not believe the defense, nor did the sentencing judge. The incident occurred after a night of drinking and “aggressive intimidation,” Judge Ian Gault noted during the two men’s sentencing hearing in February.

“He was outnumbered by you and your friends and demonstrated no physical aggression toward you,” Gault told Shute. “Without your animosity toward Mr. Boyd throughout that night, coupled with your assistance to Mr. Grace in the vehicle, Mr. Boyd’s death would not have occurred.”

Shute was denied parole in November and is expected to appear before the board in April.

Benjamin Plummer is an Auckland-based journalist covering current affairs. He worked for the Herald since 2022.

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