Tawera JOHNSON 06/05/2025

Parole Hearing

Under section 21(1) of the Parole Act 2002

Tawera JOHNSON

Hearing: 6 May 2025

at Invercargill Prison via MS Teams

Members of the Board:

Ms M Coleman – Panel Convenor

Ms O Brittain

Ms M Kupenga-Wanoa

In Attendance: [withheld] - Case Manager

DECISION OF THE BOARD

  1. Tawera Johnson, who is 23, appeared before the Board today for the first consideration of parole on a five-year, one month sentence for wounding with intent to commit grievous bodily harm, threats to kill or commit grievous bodily harm and injuring with intent to commit grievous bodily harm.
  2. These are Mr Johnson’s sole convictions.  His statutory release date is 11 October 2028.
  3. Mr Johnson met the victims at a local taxi rank.  All had been out drinking.  Mr Johnson was invited to join the group to continue drinking and did so at two flats in Dunedin.  Mr Johnson was observed by the others as huffing hairspray under his shirt and was asked to leave.  He did so but once outside he rang his partner and asked her to bring his samurai sword.  He then sought re-entry into the flat claiming that he had left his vape behind.  When the victims came down to let him in, Mr Johnson attacked them with his sword causing serious injuries.  The Judge when sentencing noted that Mr Johnson had advised the writer of the report to the Court that he had used the sword in Gore in a previous occasion causing more serious injuries to those victims.
  4. The Judge said that Mr Johnson posed a substantial risk to public safety and imposed a firearm prohibition order notwithstanding that a different weapon was used in the attack.  The Judge described Mr Johnson’s actions as planned, pre-meditated and were born out of anger.  The Judge said that Mr Johnson needed to address his violent propensity and his drinking problem.
  5. Mr Johnson is about to undertake intensive alcohol and drug treatment.  He will be shortly transferring prisons to Christchurch to start that programme in early June.
  6. Mr Johnson’s Case Manager sought advice from MIRP facilitators as to whether or not he would be a suitable candidate for that programme.   She understood that his case had been discussed with the psychologists and that an override for the MIRP had been forthcoming.
  7. Given the seriousness and unusual nature of this attack as well as the earlier purported offending which Mr Johnson confirmed today did occur, the Board questions whether the MIRP is sufficiently intensive.  [withheld] the Board considers it is necessary to get a full psychological report that looks in more detail at the nature of this offending, provides an assessment as to Mr Johnson’s risks and sets out a treatment pathway that is clear from the outset.
  8. The Board has scheduled Mr Johnson to be seen again in October 2025 with that report.  This will enable him to complete the intensive alcohol and drug programme prior to it being written which will enable the assessment of treatment gains in that area to also form part of the report.
  9. Parole today is declined.  Mr Johnson will be seen again in October 2025.
  10. For completeness, the Board notes that Mr Johnson presented well at the hearing today.  We also note his query to the Case Manager of whether something more intensive than the MIRP was required, all boding well for Mr Johnson to progress smoothly down his treatment pathway.  His custodial report was also an excellent one.

Ms M Coleman

Panel Convenor