New Zealand Parole Board -

Parole hearing

Under section 21(1) of the Parole Act 2002

 

Hendrix HAUWAI

Hearing: 21 April 2016 At [Withheld]

Members of the Board: 

      Judge D Mather – Panel Convenor
      Ms F Pimm 
      Mr B McMurray

DECISION OF THE BOARD

1.    Hendrix Hauwai has just turned 19.  He is serving a sentence of four years nine months for three serious offences of violence.  He has a moderate RoC*RoI of 0.61878.  His sentence expiry date is 24 June 2019. 

2.    The three offences occurred over a period of one week in September 2014.  On 17 September he assaulted a woman walking on a suburban street.  He punched her to the ground and kicked her to the upper body.  That led to a charge of assault with intent to injure.

3.    The following day he again grabbed the bag off a victim as she left the shopping centre.  When she resisted he chased her, threw her to the ground, took her bag and ran away to a nearby car.  The resulting charge was one of robbery.

4.    The third and most serious incident was on 23 September.  Again this occurred at a shopping centre where Mr Hauwai attempted to wrestle a handbag off a woman.  Another woman intervened.  She was punched, fell to the ground unconscious, and suffered a fractured skull and brain injuries.  There was significant and understandable public outrage arising from that incident.

5.    This is Mr Hauwai’s first appearance before the Board and his first prison sentence.  He has Youth Court notifications for aggravated robbery and theft in 2013. 

6.    Last month he completed the Short Motivational Programme which he told us was worthwhile.  He has been identified for the [Withheld] programme but has been reluctant to sign off voluntary segregation.  Other alternatives are the [Withheld]  and he also has an AOD level 2 and a six month DTU programme on his sentence plan.

7.    He is too young for the MIRP.  However in our view the most appropriate rehabilitation option for a young man with his offending history and needs is [Withheld]`.  This has not been adequately discussed with him and needs to be.  He may well then accept that he will be safe in the M?ori Focus Unit doing that programme.  His concerns to date have been exposure to other gang influences and he says he is trying to distance himself from the Killer Beez which he was part of at the time of his offending.

8.    He acknowledges drug and alcohol problems prior to coming to prison and we note that is included in the pre sentence report. 

9.    In our view it is important that a significant rehabilitation programme be put in place as soon as possible for a young man like Mr Hauwai.  If he cannot access the [Withheld] programme quite soon then we ask for a psychological assessment to identify his offending needs and the most appropriate treatment for him.  If that assessment is considered necessary we would expect any recommendations made to be implemented promptly rather than deferred until Mr Hauwai’s next appearance before the Parole Board.  Any psychological report for Mr Hauwai should be available at the next Board hearing.

10.   On that basis parole is declined as there are clear risk issues which have not yet been addressed.  Mr Hauwai is to appear again before the Board on or before 30 April 2017.  We ask for the Judge’s sentencing notes to be available to the Board for the next hearing.

 

Judge D Mather
Panel Convenor