Soul James WAIHAPE - 05/10/2016

Parole Hearing
Under section 21(1) of the Parole Act 2002

Soul James WAIHAPE

Hearing: 5 October 2016 at [Withheld] AVL to NZPB Office, Wellington

Members of the Board:

  • Mr B McMurray – Acting Panel Convenor
  • Dr P Taylor
  • Mr G Crowley

DECISION OF THE BOARD

1. Soul James Waihape, aged 23, was to be seen by the Board again today for further consideration of parole.

2. He waived his right to appear at this hearing so we have had an unattended hearing in his absence. He gave no reasons for his non-appearance in his waiver.

3. Mr Waihape is serving a sentence of seven years three months’ imprisonment for a particularly nasty attack on a woman whose house he broke into at night. He had also previously broken into her house when she was not home.

4. She woke up to find him in her room with a shovel.  He struck her with the shovel and then attacked her while trying to remove her clothing.  Fortunately she managed to fight him off and he left the property.

5. The victim received considerable injuries which needed hospital treatment.

6. Mr Waihape has a RoC*RoI of 0.785 and a security classification of high.

7. The psychological assessment of 15 December 2013 rated his risk of further [Withheld] offending as high.  That report also said intoxication is likely to increase his risk.

8. It recommended that the [Withheld] Treatment Programme be undertaken prior to release.

9. We know that Mr Waihape is going to be assessed for the [Withheld] Treatment Programme at [Withheld] in February 2017.  We also know that he has to get his classification down to low/medium so he can be transferred there for that assessment.

10. Mr Waihape unfortunately has had poor prison behaviour which has led to his high security rating.

11. Our view is that Mr Waihape would be an undue risk if he was released without treatment at this stage in his sentence.

12. Parole is declined.

13. Mr Waihape will be scheduled to be seen again in February 2018.

14. At that point the Board would require a psychological assessment outlining his risk, the treatment that he has undertaken and any further treatment recommended by the psychologist.

Mr B McMurray
Acting Panel Convenor