Murderer Peter Leary a free man in Hobart after almost 12 years for horror hammer killing

On Boxing Day 12 years ago, Peter Leary murdered a man with a hammer then tried to feed his body to the pigs. Now he’s out of jail – with plans to start a new churchgoing life in Hobart.

Peter William Leary has spent almost 12 years in prison for the murder of Neil Harwood.

A Devonport man who committed a brutal Boxing Day hammer murder, before throwing his victim’s body to pigs on a remote farm, has been released from jail on parole.

Peter William Leary, aged about 43, has served his minimum jail sentence of 11 years and six months at Risdon Prison – and now plans to live in Hobart and become a churchgoer.

On Boxing Day 2011, Leary – who was house-sitting at an East Devonport unit – had been drinking with his former caravan park neighbour, Port Sorell man Neil Harwood.

But fuelled by alcohol and amphetamines, and an apparent unwanted sexual advance, Leary said he “just snapped” – brutally murdering his friend by striking his head and neck up to 20 times with a hammer.

Mr Harwood died from severe brain injury.

He then threw Mr Harwood’s naked, bludgeoned body to pigs on a farm at Beulah, in the remote northwest.

When the pigs did not eat Mr Harwood’s body, Leary then considered burning it.

Tasmania Police at the scene of Neil Harwood’s Boxing Day murder.

When the woman who lived in the unit returned home on December 28, she found blood spatter in the lounge and kitchen, with police finding Mr Harwood’s body in a pig pen the following day.

While sentencing in 2012, Supreme Court judge Helen Wood said Leary’s attempts to dispose of his victim’s body had compounded the horror his family felt about Mr Harwood’s brutal death.

She jailed him for 20 years, but his non-parole period meant he became eligible for release this year.

In its newly-published decision, the Parole Board of Tasmania said Leary had a long history of drug and alcohol addiction, but had engaged in therapy during his time behind bars.

It said Leary intended to move to Hobart upon his release from jail, and become actively involved with the C3 church as a support worker as part of his “fresh start”.

A psychologist reported that Leary had not engaged in ongoing aggressive behaviour since he’d been in jail, and the Parole Board noted he was most recently housed in minimum security after making “largely positive choices” during his time in custody.

Leary will be monitored with electronic monitoring until 2031.

Follow @ambervwilson

Originally published as Murderer Peter Leary a free man in Hobart after almost 12 years for horror hammer killing