The Criminal Bar Association says an 18-year-old accused of killing a woman while on bail, would have met all the criteria to be released.
Akshay Anand Chand appeared in North Shore District Court on Tuesday accused of stabbing Christie Alexis Lesley Marceau, 18, to death at her home in the suburb of Hillcrest.
He entered no plea to the murder charge and has been remanded in custody.
Mr Chand appeared in court earlier this year, charged with kidnapping and threatening Ms Marceau, and was granted bail to an address less than two kilometres from Ms Marceau's home, despite police opposition.
Under the Bail Act, those over the age of 17, but under 20, must be released on bail, with a few exceptions.
Criminal Bar Association president Tony Bouchier says Mr Chand would get bail unless he was seen as a risk to society, likely to interfere with Crown witnesses, or be a flight risk.
He says the bail laws do not need to be re-addressed as a result of the case.
Police say they had vigourously opposed bail for Mr Chand.
Detective Senior Sergeant Kim Libby says he cannot comment in detail on the case but police vigourously opposed bail for Mr Chand after the earlier charges.
He says Mr Chand and Ms Marceau knew each other but had never been in a relationship.
Mr Libby says Ms Marceau's family is extremely traumatised and do not want to speak about her publicly.
System failed, says father whose son murdered
The father of a man murdered by a man who was on bail at the time says the justice system has failed again.
Charlie Borrell's son, Augustine, was stabbed to death four years ago in Auckland.
He says both deaths could have been prevented, if the bail laws were tougher.
Mr Borrell says the man convicted of his son's murder should have been kept in jail before his trial.
