Peter William PEARSON 14/9/2020

Parole Hearing

Under section 21(2) of the Parole Act 2002

Peter William PEARSON

Hearing: 14 September 2020

at Rolleston Prison via SVMR to

New Zealand Parole Board Head Office

Members of the Board: Sir Ron Young (Chairperson), Ms F Pimm, Mr P Elenio

In Attendance: (withheld) (Case Manager)

DECISION OF THE BOARD

  1. Mr Pearson was sentenced to six years, four months’ imprisonment for unlawful sexual connection with males, indecent assault with a boy under 12, and possession of objectionable material.  He is 52 years of age.  He has a final release date of January 2023.  He does have some three pages of previous convictions, including an earlier possession of objectionable material.
  2. We saw him last in October 2018.  At that stage, he was identified to do the DTP and Child Sex Offender Treatment Programme.  We noted then the very serious impact this offending had had on the victims.
  3. As far as the current position is concerned, Mr Pearson has completed the DTP.  He spoke very positively about it and had a good report about his completion.  He is now just starting the Child Sex Offender Treatment Programme.  Again he is motivated to do the programme and we think he has adopted an appropriate approach to the programme itself.  He is working in the laundry.  He is behaving well within the prison and does not have any other difficulties.
  4. He has had a lifetime of depression, but he says recently his attitude and outlook has considerably improved.  In the longer term he wants to be released to Christchurch.  We have made it clear to him today that release to Dunedin would not be appropriate given victim concerns.
  5. Finally, he has been doing some (withheld), which can resume after the completion of the Child Sex Offender Treatment Programme.
  6. In the meantime he remains an undue risk.  We will see him again by the end of July 2021.

Sir Ron Young

Chairperson