New Zealand Parole Board -

Parole Hearing

Under section 21(2) of the Parole Act 2002

Aaron Carl DREVER

Hearing: Wednesday 3 May 2023

at Northern Region Correctional Facility via MS Teams

Members of the Board:

Ms S Bailey – Panel Convenor

Mr S Perry

Mr A Hackney

Counsel: Mr M Bloomfield

In Attendance: [withheld] - Case Manager

DECISION OF THE BOARD

1. Aaron Carl Drever appears before the Board for a first consideration of parole.  Mr Drever was sentenced to a prison term of two years and two months for dishonesty offending.  Specifically, the offending is for forging documents, obtaining by deception and intent to defraud.  The offending occurred when he bought and onsold land making a considerable and illegitimate profit.  Further offending occurred when he submitted false invoices to obtain a considerable amount of money with respect to a Speedway company putting on events.
2. Mr Drever has a limited previous conviction list namely one excess breath alcohol and one driving while suspended.
3. Mr Drever has on his sentence plan the SMP and MIRP but is not automatically eligible for such a programme because of his assessed low risk and RoC*RoI score.
4. The PAR report for Mr Drever is very good and highlights his kitchen work which is going very well.  [withheld].
5. Mr Drever has a lawyer acting for him but the lawyer was unavailable to appear today.  For the record, that lawyer is Matt Bloomfield. Mr Drever was asked if he was willing to proceed with the hearing or adjourn the hearing for his lawyer to be present. Mr Drever was clear that he was happy to proceed with the hearing.
6. Mr Drever spoke to the Board and he spoke with clarity.  Mr Drever said he had prepared his safety plan based on the risk to the public.  He emphasises that he has a strong support network on release and would follow through with his psychologist, [withheld], with psychological sessions once he was released into the community.  Mr Drever told the Board that he started having sessions with [withheld] prior to being sentenced.  There is a brief memo from [withheld] before the Board which noted Mr Drever’s interest in completing a course called [withheld].  Mr Drever has started this programme and to date has completed three of the 12 sessions. The remaining sessions will continue on release.
7. Mr Drever said that the prison term for him had been a “baptism of fire” experience.  It is a huge deterrent for him not to reoffend.
8. Mr Drever was asked why the offending had happened. Mr Drever said that, essentially, it was based around his greed to obtain money.  He had found himself in a bad business situation, started behaving in a haphazard way and made bad decisions during a difficult time.  Mr Drever said that he had had a high-profile career which crumpled and led to him making careless decisions which ultimately resulted in that prison term. Mr Drever had never believed he would end up in prison and this had been a traumatic experience for him.
9. It was put to Mr Drever that many people face stressful situations such as company collapses and loss of reputation.  He was asked what it was about him that he came to commit the offences he did and end up in prison.  He said at the relevant time he had been in positions of trust and responsibility, he had taken advantage of those positions and did not think about potential consequences.
10. Another key factor he said was the loss of his father [withheld].  [withheld]  Mr Drever highlighted that he had been living a grand lifestyle and when things collapsed around him, he simply did not deal with it.
11. Mr Drever was asked about the new charges he was facing.  He has a court appearance on 19^th May this month on these charges.  He said these charges relate to not filing correct bankruptcy forms in a timely way after a business collapse during 2018. He told the Board  he is advised by his legal team that they are defendable.
12. [withheld]
13. [withheld]
14. The PAR made it clear that Mr Drever is a talented chef and has knowledge about the catering business.  This is something Mr Drever would like to pursue once he is released back into the community.  His case manager spoke highly of him [withheld]
15. His case manager further said the MIRP programme is not available to him because the likelihood of his re-offending is low.  Although he is prepared to do the SMP, this programme was questioned because Mr Drever does not lack motivation to complete any programme which may assist him.  Overall, his case manager described him as a model prisoner and she has no issues with him at all.
16. His PCO also gave him an excellent report.  He told the Board that Mr Drever works seven days each week, which is in the kitchen from 5.30 am in the morning until 6 pm at night.  When he is in the unit he engages well and there have been no issues.
17. Mr Drever told the Board that he has never had any alcohol or drug issues.
18. Mr Drever had spent many years in the real estate industry but has been suspended from that activity after a number of complaints had been made about him.  Mr Drever submitted to the Board that the complaints were minor, but because of the number of them, a suspension had resulted.
19. Mr Drever confirmed that when he is released from prison, he wants to get into the catering industry in some form but would not be self-employed.
20. Mr Drever has engaged with a private psychologist.  He advised the Board that there is a full psychological assessment from that psychologist. The Board does not have that report on file.  It will be appropriate to ensure it is available to a future Board.
21. At this point, Mr Drever has received no rehabilitation within the prison. He has presented a proposal to the Board for a plan forward, which includes future sessions with a psychologist, but it is not clear whether that is the most appropriate way for Mr Drever to proceed with respect to his risk of re-offending.
22. Parole today is declined.  Mr Drever is still considered an undue risk until a risk assessment is before the Board.  With respect to that, a psychological assessment is requested for his next Board appearance.  This is to undertake a risk assessment for Mr Drever, treatment proposals and an assessment of his release plan.
23. In the interim, the Board would also request that Corrections look at a possible SRP, which will require an override, but may be considered in the circumstances.
24. Mr Drever will be seen again in September of 2023 and before the end of that month.