New Zealand Parole Board -

 

Parole hearing

Under section 21(1) of the Parole Act 2002

 

Brent Darryl McLENNAN

Hearing: 12 February 2016 at [Withheld] via AVL to NZPB Head Office

Members of the Board: 
      Hon J W Gendall QC (Panel Convenor)
      Ms P Rose
      Ms S Driver

Support Persons: [Withheld] 

DECISION OF THE BOARD

1. Brent McLennan was sentenced on 14 March 2007 to an effective term of 14 years imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of seven years for 10 serious sexual crimes against two separate victims on two separate occasions.  The crimes involved unlawful sexual connection (8), abduction, sexual violation (2) and threatening to kill (2).  They occurred in late 2004, early 2005 four months apart.  They involved strikingly similar attacks on stranger females in very chilling circumstances.

2. He appealed to the Court of Appeal he says, against his conviction but it appears it was largely against sentence.  The appeal was dismissed.

3. His parole eligibility date was 22 September 2012 and his sentence end date is three and a half years away on 22 September 2019.  He was last seen by the Board on 18 March 2015 when parole was declined.

4. Mr McLennan has previous convictions for dishonesty crimes, perverting the course of justice and assaulting a female.

5. Mr McLennan was programmed for the Adult Sex Offender Treatment Programme (ASOTP) but did not graduate from this because of a relapse towards the end of the programme. It is said to involve cognitive distortions towards his therapist and what is described as, “mirroring behaviours”.

6. The Parole Assessment Report refers to him having entitlement attitudes, minimum insight and is inclined to brood on perceived wrongdoing towards him by female staff.  He is assessed as a high risk of sexual offending.  His release is not supported.  The report records that he has failed to adequately address his offending behaviour.

7. Mr McLennan accepts that he needs treatment for his criminogenic propensities.

8. It is recommended that he repeat the [Withheld].  He contended to the Board that as this would not occur for some time and that he needed one to one psychological counselling.  Otherwise he said, “I may as well do my full lag”.

9. It is clear (and Mr McLennan accepts) that he is not a candidate for parole because there is very much work to be done to treat his high risk of sexual offending.

10. We support the recommendation contained in the report that he must undertake and successfully complete the ASOTP.  If he is not willing to do this then there has to be intensive one to one psychological intervention to mitigate his high risk. 

11. He is a long way from being a candidate for parole and is declined. 

12. He will be seen again in the month of December 2017, that is before 31 December that year.

13. The Board, pursuant to section 21A(b) specifies as relevant activities that the Board expects will be completed by the specified date:
   (a) The Adult Sex Offender Treatment Programme; and
   (b) One to one psychological treatment to meet his criminogenic propensities as they relate to sexual offending.

 

Hon J W Gendall QC
Panel Convenor