New Zealand Parole Board -

 

Parole hearing

Under section 21(2) of the Parole Act 2002

 

Michael MARU

Hearing: 30 March 2016 via AVL from NZPB Head Office, Wellington to [Withheld]
 
Members of the Board: 
       Hon. MA Frater – Panel Convenor
       Dr J Skipworth
       Mr B McMurray
       Ms M Coleman

DECISION OF THE BOARD

1. Fifty five year old Michael Maru is a preventive detainee.  That sentence was imposed on 28 August 2009 on counts of indecently assault and rape of an 18 year old girl.  These offences were committed in October 2005 within one month of his release from prison of a sentence of 10 years imposed in 1995, for a number of offences including two counts rape and three of unlawful sexual connection.

2. In 2009 Mr Maru was also sentenced to three and a half years concurrent for possession of and dealing in a number of drugs including cannabis, LSD and methamphetamine.

3. Mr Maru has a long and versatile history of offending dating back to appearances in the Youth Court in 1975.

4. Mr Maru was last seen by the Board on 29 April 2015.  At that stage he had recently been exited from the Adult Sex Offender Treatment Programme for a misconduct which was later dismissed for lack of evidence.

5. It is pleasing to note that Mr Maru has remained committed to undertaking the programme and indeed is currently in the early stage of it.  He began it at the beginning of this month and is due to complete it, all going well, in November or December this year.

6. Given that Mr Maru accepts that he is not in a position to be released on parole at this stage, he did however ask to be brought back immediately following completion of the core programme.

7. In our view that is too early.  As previously noted, Mr Maru has an extensive history of serious offending.  He has not worked since he was in his thirties and has yet to formulate a release plan.  In fact he has limited community support.  During the past eight years he has been embracing his Tikanga and he is keen to be released, eventually, into [Withheld] somewhere near [Withheld], but there is much work to do before that happens.

8. The first step is for Mr Maru successfully complete the Adult Sex Offender Treatment Programme.  While he accepted the need to do so he also expressed early reservations about the way in which the programme was being delivered.  He said that to a degree he believes he has already address his offending needs through his Tikanga but accepted that the STURP will be much more focused on sexual offending issues.

9. Obviously parole must be declined today. 

10. Mr Maru’s next hearing will be in November 2017.  However, we make no promises to the outcome at that stage and certainly give no indication that we expect him to be ready for release by then.

 

Hon. MA Frater
Panel Convenor