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Guy Wallace was the taxi driver who took Ben Smart and Olivia Hope to their final destination and was a key witness during the court case that convicted Scott Watson. Photo / Archive
A key witness in the trial of convicted murderer Scott Watson reportedly died of an alleged suicide.
Furneaux Lodge worker Guy Wallace was one of the last people to see Ben Smart, 21, and Olivia Hope, 17, alive on New Years Eve 1997 after dropping them into a boat.
He gave evidence that another man was with them, although that man was never identified. The Crown maintained that it was Watson.
Wallace was operating a water taxi that night and was a key witness for the Crown in the murder trial. However, he insisted that he left Ben and Olivia on a two-masted yacht. The Crown insisted it was Watson’s single-masted boat.
When asked on the witness stand to compare Watson’s boat to the one he described to police, Wallace said: “The only similarity is that they both float.”
Wallace had been working at the Marlborough Sounds hostel serving drinks and took people in a water taxi to their moored boats after the party ended.
Smart and Hope were never seen again after Wallace’s last sighting.
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Wallace had been living in Greymouth, but was found Monday afternoon, allegedly self-inflicted, reports Stuff.
Watson said at a parole hearing in December last year that he was unable to receive psychological treatment behind bars because he would not confess to the murders.
Watson, 49, was denied parole for the third time.
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He made his last attempt at release in front of the Parole Board at Rolleston Prison, south of Christchurch. At the conclusion of the hearing, the coordinator of the panel, Sir Ron Young, told him: “It is a no to parole, which may not surprise you.”
WHERE TO GET HELP:
• Lifeline 0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE) or free text 4357 (HELP) (available 24 hours, 7 days a week)
• Suicide Crisis Helpline 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
• YOUTH LINE: 0800 376 633
• I need to talk? Toll Free or Text 1737 (Available 24/7)
• Kidsline: 0800 543 754 (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
• WHATSUP: 0800 942 8787 (from 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.)
• Rural Support Trust Helpline: 0800 787 254
• Helpline for depression: 0800 111 757 or text message 4202
• If it is an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111
