New Zealand Parole Board -

Parole Hearing

Under section 21(2) of the Parole Act 2002

Luke Frederick SIBLEY

Hearing: 3 September 2019

at Whanganui Prison via AVL from Christchurch Men’s Prison

Members of the Board:

• Sir Ron Young – Chairperson
• Assoc Prof. P Brinded
• Mr P Elenio

Observer:

• Mr L Pullan – Principal Psychologist

Counsel:

• Ms D Goodlet

Supporters:

• [withheld]

DECISION OF THE BOARD

1. Mr Sibley was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and attempted murder in 1997. He is currently on a minimum security classification.
2. We last saw him in August 2018. He was then undertaking further one-on-one sessions with a psychologist. He had a completed safety plan. He had undertaken six guided releases and a reintegration hui. He was on external self‑care, but had not yet progressed as he had hoped to release to work.
3. As to the current position, Mr Sibley had a restorative justice meeting in August 2019 with the victims. We had the opportunity before the parole hearing today to meet with the victims and we reported to Mr Sibley on the discussions we had had with them.
4. We have also had the opportunity of reading an extensive report on the restorative justice meeting in August 2019, which the victims tell us lasted for some three hours and covered important and significant information.
5. As to the current position, Mr Sibley is in outer self‑care. He has applied for release to work, but it seems that there is a combination of little work available in Whanganui and in addition remaining reluctance to release life and preventive detention prisoners on release to work. In any event Mr Sibley has been working in the nursery. That has involved him in travelling outside the prison and delivering plants with a corrections officer. His conduct during the course of that work has been excellent. That work for the moment has ended, but plant delivery will resume later in the year.
6. He has recently had a further 19 one-on-one psychological sessions. He has reviewed the Special Treatment Unit Rehabilitation Programme (STURP) with the psychologist and in addition his safety plan. A whānau hui was held in July 2019. Mr Sibley has been approved for accommodation at [withheld] and a room is available for him there.
7. The psychologist suggested, and we agree, that further testing and reintegration work is necessary given Mr Sibley’s offending, his rehabilitation and the development of his release plan. We therefore consider he remains an undue risk and we will see him again in six months’ time, by the beginning of March 2020.
8. We think in the meantime Mr Sibley needs to be tested by a more liberal regime which will satisfy the Board that he has been tested in a full range of circumstances so that we can be confident that upon release he can cope in the community. It will be, of course, entirely for Corrections to decide what that testing might be. If release to work was available we see no reason ourselves why that would not be appropriate for Mr Sibley. It may be a more liberal regime involving his work at the nursery is possible.
9. We did discuss with Mr Sibley his proposed special conditions. We record for the next Board that Mr Sibley agreed that the geographical restrictions could extend to the whole of the South Island and that, secondly, he would be happy to have a restriction relating to internet use in that he would make available any Internet device he was using for checking by a probation officer.