Blair BEAUMONT 09/08/2022

Parole Hearing

Under section 21(1) of the Parole Act 2002

Blair David BEAUMONT

Hearing: 09 August 2022

at Otago Corrections Facility Prison

Members of the Board:

Mr N Trendle – Panel Convenor

Mr P Elenio

Ms K Coutts

Counsel:                                           Ms S Saunderson-Warner

In Attendance:                               [withheld] - CM

Support Persons: [withheld] – Observing CM

[withheld] – Observing CM

DECISION OF THE BOARD

  1. Blair David Beaumont is making his first appearance before the Board on a total sentence of three years nine months’ imprisonment for fraud related offending.  He became eligible for parole on 1 August 2022 and he has a statutory release date of 19 February 2024.
  2. Mr Beaumont has a lengthy offending history so far as his dishonesty is concerned.  It began with convictions for theft as a servant in 2003 and has continued virtually unabated since then.  He has accumulated around 75 convictions over 19 years with a RoC*RoI of .43264.  This is his third term of imprisonment but his first long sentence.
  3. Ms Saunderson-Warner appeared as counsel and advised the Board that Mr Beaumont was not seeking parole today.  He had been accepted by [withheld] for a residential drug and alcohol programme with a placement available in January next year.  He had successfully completed the Drug Treatment Programme, graduating from phase II in April this year.  He had moved into the self-care units and had a trusted position working outside the wire.  She submitted that Mr Beaumont recognised the difficulties with his addiction to alcohol in particular and also to gambling and was highly motivated to continue the work commenced of the Drug Treatment Programme with the residential proposal in the community.  Once he completed that he remained motivated to complete the Medium Intensity Rehabilitation Programme.
  4. The Board acknowledges the progress made by Mr Beaumont in successfully completing the Drug Treatment Programme and the availability of the after-care support through the CADS practitioner.   However, he has a troubling history of dishonesty offending and the Board had difficulty with his explanation for an entrenched pattern of not paying for his accommodation.  He claimed that the money he would have paid was used for alcohol and gambling.  Having regard to his lengthy and diverse offending history it seems to us that there is something much deeper behind his dishonesty than spur of the moment deception as a consequence of gambling and substance abuse.  We are not satisfied that the proposal he puts before us adequately meets the risk.  It needs to be addressed before the Board could be satisfied that his release would not pose an undue risk to the safety of the community.
  5. Parole today is declined.  The Board supports his attendance at the Medium Intensity Rehabilitation Programme either at his present prison beginning early next year or elsewhere if he is motivated to transfer.  He will be scheduled to be seen again for parole to be further considered in ten months, by 30 June 2023, subject to section 26 of the Parole Act 2002 if he finishes the Medium Intensity Reintegration Programme at an earlier date.

Mr N Trendle

Panel Convenor