Peter Robert HOWSE - 29/08/2017

Parole Hearing

Under section 21(2) of the Parole Act 2002

Peter Robert HOWSE

Hearing: 29 August 2017

At [withheld]

Members of the Board:

  • Hon. J W Gendall QC (Panel Convenor)
  • Assoc. Prof. P Brinded
  • Mr B McMurray
  • Mr L Tawera

In attendance: [withheld] – Corrections Psychologist

Counsel: [withheld]

DECISION OF THE BOARD

  1. Peter Howse is serving a life sentence imposed on 20 August 1982 for the crime of murder.  His parole eligibility date was extended to 26 November 2008 because of further offending of a serious nature when on parole.  On 19 February 1999 he was sentenced to a concurrent term of preventive detention by reason of grave sexual offending.
  2. The crimes for which Mr Howse was convicted whilst on parole were as follows:
  • Possession of cannabis – 21 November 1999
  • Kidnapping – 14 August 1992
  • Attempted Abduction
  • Assault
  • Attempting to Detain for Sexual Violation – 6 November 1998
  • Unlawful Connection of a female (x2)
  • Abduction for Sexual Offending and Assault with intent to commit sexual violation – 22 December 1998
  • Unlawful sexual connection of a female (x2)
  • Aggravated Robbery and Abduction for purpose of sexual connection – 19 February 1999
  • Escaping from custody – 13 April 2000
  1. Mr Howse was last seen by the Board on 28 January 2015 when made subject to a three year postponement order.  His application for review of that decision was declined.
  2. The parole assessment report records that he has a RoC*RoI is 0.63149 and he incurred a misconduct on 21 July 2015.
  3. He is waitlisted for the Adult Sex Offender Treatment Programme (ASOTP) but he is not motivated to undertake that.  He has no effective support in the community.  He is motivated however, to be placed in self-care and release to work.
  4. Mr Howse has a total of 91 convictions since 1964 but continues to maintain that he is innocent of all of the sexual crimes which occurred whilst on parole.
  5. The psychologist’s report records that he may see himself as a victim and unfairly treated; blames the police for what he says are false allegations made against him; and he has a controlling and violent disposition.  He has had several years of one to one psychological counselling and short term group intervention.  The psychologist notes that he continues to deny his index offending.
  6. On the ASRS statistical scale his scores indicate a medium-high risk of sexual offending and a high risk of violent offending.  Because of dynamic factors we regard his risk as very high.  The psychologist says he has a criminal personality, with cognitive distortions, elements of aggression and deviant preferences.  His PCL:SV score is above average with features of superficiality, deceit, grandiosity, lack of empathy and remorse.  Elements of impression management noted by the psychologist were very apparent in Mr Howse’s presentation to the Board today.
  7. He needs a high intensity intervention treatment.  But the obvious difficulty, as he recognises, is that he will not be admitted to formal ASOTP treatment programme whilst he maintains his present stance of denial.
  8. We make it clear that merely maintaining innocence does not mean an offender will not be released, but if a high risk is untreated that is relevant in any decision to release.  The psychologist’s view is that prison management consider whether further psychological counselling may assist to identify the barriers which he presently faces.
  9. Mr Howse has proven to be a dangerous and very high risk offender.  Parole is out of the question and to be fair to him, he does not seek it today.
  10. Parole is declined.  He will be seen in two year’s time that is in the week commencing 9 August 2019.  At that time the Board will give consideration to the making of a further postponement order and the administrator is requested to provide Mr Howse, in due course, with the necessary notice to that effect.

Hon. J W Gendall QC
Panel Convenor