New Zealand Parole Board -

Parole Hearing

Under section 21(2) of the Parole Act 2002

Shaun Michael BRADLEY

Hearing: 5 October 2023

at Northern Region Corrections Facility via MS TEAMS

Members of the Board:

Ms K Snook – Panel Convenor

Ms M Dodd

Mr C Roberts

In Attendance:   [withheld] – Case Manager

DECISION OF THE BOARD

1. Shaun Michael Bradley, 45, appeared for the further consideration of parole.  He is serving a sentence of two years two months’ imprisonment for a range of offending including indecent acts (x3), burglary, indecent language, theft, failure to answer bail and breach of supervision.
2. Mr Bradley has a concerning history covering eight pages and dating back to 1995.  It is a versatile history covering dishonesty offending (including fraud), drug offending, but it is notable for a number of indecent act offences (approximately 10 including the most recent offences).
3. Mr Bradley is on a low prison security classification, he has a RoC*Rol of 0.40912, and an ASRS of 5.  His statutory release date is 29 May 2024.
4. The last Board saw Mr Bradley at his first appearance.  That was on 11 January 2023.  He had an accelerated parole eligibility date because he had spent a significant time in custody.  The Board supported one‑to‑one treatment with a psychologist, the DTP and [withheld].
5. In terms of the current position, Mr Bradley has completed the DTP.  There is little information in the report about how he did on that programme, but we have seen the safety plan.  It is clear that substance abuse issues have been significant for Mr Bradley.  He says he has completed AOD Intermediate in the past but never any intensive drug or alcohol treatment.  He has been participating in [withheld].  He told the Board that this is going well.  We understand that he has [withheld].
6. Mr Bradley said that he has learnt from the DTP to positively affirm himself and others.  He said he has been off drugs now for 19 months and is feeling confident about his ability to remain drug free in the community.
7. We asked Mr Bradley about the indecent act offending.  He appeared to blame being high on drugs for that offending.  He said that he did not have an explanation for the offending apart from being high.  He did refer to [withheld] which we do have some information about.  We have read the section 27 cultural report amongst other things [withheld].
8. At the moment, Mr Bradley remains on the waitlist for one‑to‑one treatment with a psychologist.  The initial report before the Board last time indicated that this was his primary treatment pathway.  That is what the current report tells us as well.  Unfortunately, the case manager said that there is no time frame for that treatment to be provided.  We refer to the well above-average risk indicated by Mr Bradley’s ASRS score.  We think that this treatment needs to be given significant priority given Mr Bradley’s offending history.
9. Mr Bradley referred to the fact that most of his prior indecency offending has occurred in his car.  We worked through the latest offending and Mr Bradley accepted that none of that indecent offending was in a car. The most recent offending appears to mark an escalation in his indecency offending as it occurred in several public places. It also involved Mr Bradley [withheld].  He referred to not trusting women because he has been lied to by women in the past.
10. Mr Bradley does have an approved address with [withheld].  However, we are not satisfied regarding his risk at this time.  He has done well to complete the DTP and that is important.  However, without him understanding what drives his sexual offending, and with a well above average static risk of sexual re‑offending, we are not able to release him on parole at this time.  Risk remains undue and parole is declined.
11. We will schedule Mr Bradley to be seen again by a Board in March 2024 and no later than the end of that month.  We strongly support Mr Bradley being offered one‑to‑one treatment for his sexual offending with a psychologist in the period between now and that next hearing.
12. We ask for a psychological risk assessment for the next Board which assesses treatment gains made by Mr Bradley on the DTP and the one‑to‑one treatment, in combination with [withheld].  It should assess his safety plan and contain recommendations as to further treatment in prison or in the community.  It should also assess his release proposal.