Paul Joseph DALLY 10/04/2025

Parole Hearing

Under section 21(2) of the Parole Act 2002

Paul Joseph DALLY

Hearing: 10 April 2025

at Auckland South Corrections Facility

Members of the Board:

Mr N Trendle – Panel Convenor

Ms M Kleist

Dr J Skipworth

Counsel: Ms E Priest

In Attendance: [withheld] – Case Manager

DECISION OF THE BOARD

  1. Paul Joseph Dally was sentenced to life imprisonment on 8 March 1990 for the murder of Karla Cardno.  He presently holds a minimum security classification and has been in the Self-Care Units at Auckland South Corrections Facility for the last 12 months.
  2. When he was last before the Board in June 2024, Mr Dally was noted as having completed appropriate rehabilitation and the focus was on reintegration activities. The Board anticipated that would involve guided releases and a transition to Self-Care and any other situations in the prison so that his capacity to cope, apply what he had learnt in rehabilitation and prepare himself for life outside the prison could be tested and developed.
  3. Ms Priest appeared as counsel and made written and oral submissions acknowledging on behalf of Mr Dally that he was not ready for parole, though in her submission he was almost ready for release but was dependent on support from his Case Manager to ensure that further reintegration activities were completed.
  4. Following the Board’s comment that Mr Dally’s safety plan was inadequate, he has been engaging with a senior psychologist to further develop his understanding of his high risks, warning signs and the strategies he would deploy to cope and manage himself in the community.  That work is nearing completion.
  5. Counsel also made reference to a request by Mr Dally to participate in a restorative justice process which had been referred to an appropriate facilitator.
  6. A central issue that is still to be determined is Mr Dally’s accommodation arrangements when he returns to the community. The parole assessment report refers to an initial assessment by [withheld].  As previously recorded, [withheld] is viewed by the Board ordinarily as providing a release framework for offenders who had a medium level of risk and reintegration needs.  Although the Board did not rule out the possibility of an enhanced, tailored plan, we retain considerable doubt that it is able to provide the required level of support and oversight that will be necessary in Mr Dally’s case.
  7. We briefly discussed the reintegration service offered by [withheld], although Mr Dally was of the view that it was distant from his support and [withheld].  A referral to a [withheld – Waikato-based] supported accommodation provider had previously been declined, but [withheld] his Case Manager undertook to renew the referral.  If that provider is able to extend the usual period of care it offers to offenders who have been released on parole, it appeared to the Board that it may offer a potentially viable option.
  8. Parole today is declined.  To provide sufficient time for him to complete the current work with the psychologist and for further work to be completed with his Case Manager in developing his release plan, Mr Dally will be seen again in six months, by 31 October 2025.  An updated psychological report is requested for that hearing, including an assessment of the recent engagement with the psychologist and an assessment of any release proposal that may have been developed.

Mr N Trendle

Panel Convenor