Cindy Melissa TAYLOR 6/11/2020

Parole Hearing

Under section 21(1) of the Parole Act 2002

Cindy Melissa TAYLOR

Hearing: 6 November 2020

at Arohata Prison

Members of the Board: Ms M More (Panel Convenor)

Ms M Dodd

Ms M Kleist

In attendance: (withheld) – Case Manager

DECISION OF THE BOARD

  1. Cindy Melissa Taylor is 47.  She makes her first appearance before the Parole Board on a sentence of 12 years for manslaughter, and a sentence of one year, three months cumulative for two charges of obtaining deception.  It is a notional sentence of 13 years and three months.
  2. Ms Taylor was found guilty by a jury of failing to provide her mother, Mrs Dung, with the necessities of life, thereby causing her death.  Ms Taylor's co-offenders, also called Taylor, were found guilty of failing to protect a vulnerable adult.
  3. Ms Taylor and her co-offenders were sharing a house in Manurewa.  Mrs Dung was living there and her brother was living there too.  The facts suggest that Mrs Dung was quite normal in mid-2013, however she became skinny and a neighbour observed Ms Taylor emotionally and physically abusing her mother.  When she died, an ambulance was called, and she was found in an emaciated and damaged state.  She had multiple sores and "arthropod activity" along both of her legs.  Mrs Dung was found with 14 fractures to her ribs and sternum, and the pathologist found it would have been painful and interfered with her breathing.
  4. The pathologist found that Mrs Dung would have gone 10 to 15 days without food, and four or five days without water.  She died of dehydration and malnutrition.  Ms Taylor was responsible for her care, and her co-offenders turned a blind eye.  The fraud was that Ms Dung's brother died, his death was not notified to Births Deaths and Marriages, and Ms Taylor continued to get his superannuation.  She also used his Eftpos card.
  5. Ms Taylor has a RoC*RoI of 0.9336, her parole eligibility date is 28 November 2020, and her statutory release date is 27 September 2029.  She has eight years and nine months remaining on her sentence.
  6. Ms Taylor's classification is minimum.  She is consistently behaving well, and the PCO and Case Manager both said that she is focused on her work in the kitchen.
  7. The Board has the assistance of a psychologist assessment dated 30 September 2020.  The psychologist said that Ms Taylor's risk is low of reoffending and is most likely to occur in a situation where she does not know how to respond.  The psychologist noted that Ms Taylor has no release proposal and she is not seeking parole.  The psychologist recommended a 12 month stand‑down to rehabilitation.
  8. Ms Taylor told the Board that she is not seeking parole, she has not completed any rehabilitation or reintegration.  Ms Taylor is to work with the psychologist, and the Case Manager said it may start early 2020.
  9. Following rehabilitation, Ms Taylor wishes to go to self-care and undertake Release to Work.
  10. The Board sees merit in that proposal.  Ms Taylor has not had any rehabilitation, and as such her risk is undue and parole is declined.
  11. Ms Taylor will be seen again in 12 months, that is November 2021.

Ms M More

Panel Convenor