New Zealand Parole Board -

Parole Hearing

Under section 21(2) of the Parole Act 2002

Dillan WILSON

Hearing: 1 December 2021

at Manawatu Prison by video conference

Members of the Board: Judge G F Ellis – Panel Convenor

Ms W Taumaunu

Hon Mr C Borrows

Counsel:                                            Mr P Drummond

In Attendance:                                  [withheld] - Case Manager

DECISION OF THE BOARD

1. Dillan Wilson is aged 25.  He is currently serving a combined sentence of four years and two months having been convicted on two charges of burglary, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, arson, breach of protection order x2, breach of release conditions, and unlawfully accessing a computer system.
2. His initial sentence commencement date was 9 November 2018.  He reached parole eligibility on 24 November 2019, and his sentence expiry date is now 3 September 2022.
3. The offending was against a former partner, including setting fire to her home while she and her children were asleep and then trying to access her email while he was on electronically monitored bail.
4. Subsequently, after release on parole, he breached a protection order held by another ex-partner.  He breached his release conditions at the same time and was sentenced to a further three months cumulative on 16 September of this year.  He had been released on 18 December of 2019 but was recalled within a matter of days for breach of the non-association condition after he sent an electronic message to a friend of his victim.  No final recall order was made on that occasion, but he was rereleased on the same conditions.  A further recall application was made in April 2021 after harassment of another ex-partner with behaviour which was considered to parallel his index offending, and a final recall order was made on 13 May.
5. Mr Wilson was last before the Board on 3 August 2021.  The Board noted there was a further sentencing date for 16 September on new charges and asked for a psychological assessment and report before the next hearing.
6. We now have a psychologist’s report dated 20 October 2021.  That assesses Mr Wilson’s risk of stalking and/or threatening behaviour towards an ex-partner higher than his low to moderate static risk of general re-offending.  In the psychologist’s opinion it is likely that he would breach protection or non-association orders. The recommendation is for him to be referred to a Medium Intensity Rehabilitation Programme and a DTP while in prison.
7. He was recently offered a place on the Te Tirohanga Programme but declined.  There is also a recommendation for a referral to the [withheld].
8. Mr Wilson was represented by counsel.  Mr Drummond appeared.  He referred to the psychological assessment of risk, as noted above, which Mr Drummond accepted was a “fair assessment.”  The first point addressed by counsel was the recommendation for further treatment in prison to which Mr Drummond told us Mr Wilson was resistant.  Mr Wilson says that he has done those programmes before and he does not believe that they address the issues that he has.  Mr Drummond submitted that if released on conditions such as proposed in the Parole Assessment Report Mr Wilson would no longer pose an undue risk.
9. The Board has noted Mr Wilson’s previous serious offending and an emerging pattern of non-compliance with conditions and orders intended to protect his former intimate partners.  It was made clear to Mr Wilson that the most recent psychological evidence before the Board indicates an unacceptable level of risk without further treatment and the very clear recommendation is that such treatment is required in prison.
10. Having heard from Mr Wilson and his counsel and considering all of the material before us, the Board still assesses Mr Wilson as posing an undue risk.  It is not for the Board to advise what specific treatment is required by Mr Wilson, but we are of the very firm view that he does require further treatment to reduce or to address and reduce that degree of risk.  We do invite the Corrections’ psychologist to speak further with Mr Wilson to hear his concerns about the recommended programme and to reconsider whether there might be any alternative approach to treatment which he evidently needs.
11. For the present parole is declined.  We are told that Mr Wilson is listed for a MIRP to commence in January and if he takes up that opportunity, that programme could be completed by June of next year.  Accordingly, we will see him again at that time, a date to be set before the end of June 2022.