New Zealand Parole Board -

Parole Hearing

Under section 21(2) of the Parole Act 2002

Imran PATEL

Hearing: 8 March 2017 at [Withheld]

Members of the Board:

• Hon. J W Gendall QC - Panel Convenor
• Assoc. Prof. P Brinded
• Mr J Thomson

DECISION OF THE BOARD

1. Imran Patel is serving a sentence of three years, nine months’ imprisonment imposed on 23 June 2016 and confirmed on appeal for crimes of possessing objectionable material, a representative count of making objectionable material and two charges (one of which was representative) of distributing objectionable material.  His parole eligibility date is 31 May 2017 and a sentence end date of 28 November 2019.  Mr Patel has waived his attendance before the Board today.
2. Mr Patel has previous convictions in 2014 and 2015 for intimidating behaviour, threatening to kill and assault with a weapon.  Justice Lang, in his appeal decision, referred to those features being significant aggravating features when viewed as against the background to the index offences [Withheld]
3. It is of concern that Mr Patel appears to have little insight into his offending [Withheld].
4. Mr Patel is untreated at present and the recommendation before the Board is that he be assessed by a psychologist to assess his treatment needs.  [Withheld]  There is no community-based programme available it seems to address this type of offending.  But the needs are to address his overall violent and intimidatory behaviour.  Until there is some rehabilitative interventions Mr Patel remains an undue risk to the safety of the community in its wider sense and is not able to be released on parole.
5. Parole is declined and Mr Patel will be seen in 12 months’ time, that is in the month of February 2018 and that is before 28 February.