Benjamin Todd WHITCOMBE 11/2/2021

Parole Hearing

Under section 21(2) of the Parole Act 2002

Benjamin Todd WHITCOMBE

Hearing: 11 February 2021

at Rolleston Prison

Members of the Board: Jim Thomson – Panel Convenor

Ms F Pimm

Ms P Rose

Attendees:                                        (withheld)

DECISION OF THE BOARD

  1. Benjamin Todd Whitcombe is aged 24 and has made another appearance before the Board for the consideration of release on parole.  Mr Whitcombe is serving a sentence of three years’ imprisonment became eligible for parole on 16 June 2009.  The sentence ends on 14 June 2021.
  2. The sentence was imposed for two counts of knowingly making or copying objectionable publications and five counts of importing prohibited goods and one count of possession of an objectionable publication.
  3. Mr Whitcombe has a RoC*RoI score of 0.350.  He has not been to prison before.  However there are previous convictions in 2015 for similar offending.  Some of the current offences were committed while he was subject to a sentence of home detention.
  4. Mr Whitcombe has a low security classification and there have been no misconducts.  He is described as compliant and associates well with others.
  5. The last appearance before the Board was on 14 September 2020.  Mr Whitcombe had completed the Child Sex Offender Programme at Kia Marama.  He was about to start the graduates’ group.  There was some concern expressed about manipulative behaviour and also concern that he had an intellectual understanding of the programme content but had no real emotional connection to it.  He accepted that time the graduates’ group was necessary.  In addition he did not have a confirmed accommodation to go to.
  6. Mr Whitcombe has now spent some time in the graduates’ group and it appears to be progressing well.  There is mention in the Parole Assessment Report of an extended supervision order application.  Mr Whitcombe provided us today with the health assessor’s report regarding the application. It is not clear whether the application will proceed.
  7. Unfortunately the accommodation situation for Mr Whitcombe is the same as it was at the last appearance.  He does not have a confirmed address to go to.  We have an email from (withheld) dated 25 January 2021.  It states that he has been accepted into their programme but at present they do not have suitable accommodation.
  8. In the absence of a suitable place to live for Mr Whitcombe we cannot be satisfied that he no longer poses an undue risk to the safety of the community.  Parole is declined.
  9. We are very much aware that sentence has a little over four months remaining.  We will schedule Mr Whitcombe to return to the Board in two months’ time in April and no later than 30 April 2021.  It is hoped that by that time some arrangements have been made for accommodation.

Jim Thomson

Panel Convenor