Ty-Rae Zachary CHERRY 11/12/2023

Parole Hearing

Under section 21(1) of the Parole Act 2002

Ty-Rae Zachary CHERRY

Hearing: 11 December 2023

at Rolleston Prison via MS Teams

Members of the Board:

Ms M Coleman – Panel Convenor

Mr C King

Ms F Pimm

In Attendance: [withheld] - Case Manager

[withheld] – Principal Case Manager

Support Persons: [withheld]

DECISION OF THE BOARD

  1. Ty-Rae Zachary Cherry, who is 21, appeared before the Board today for the first consideration of parole on a three-year, two-month sentence for knowingly making/copying child objectionable material and possession of that material.
  2. These are Mr Cherry’s only convictions.  His statutory release date is 8 February 2026.
  3. Mr Cherry is tentatively scheduled for the Medium Intensity Rehabilitation Programme for Child Sex Offenders with a tentative start date of September 2024.  However, he is yet to actually be assessed for a suitability for that programme [withheld].
  4. The Board agrees there are issues as to whether it would be appropriate for Mr Cherry to undertake that programme with older participants.  We are also mindful that the other participants on that programme are likely to be people who have been convicted of serious sexual offending involving actual contact with young children.  When that assessment takes place, we trust that factor will also be taken into account.
  5. [withheld]  We are, therefore, rescheduling him to be seen again in March 2024, which we understand gives sufficient time for that assessment to take place.
  6. Alongside that assessment, the Board asks that Mr Cherry work with his case manager on identifying what treatment in the community might look like, whether that is the STOP programme or one-to-one treatment with a Departmental psychologist, or a combination of the two.
  7. There is also work that needs to be done around a release address.  [withheld]
  8. Until those steps have been taken, we do not have sufficient information to determine that his risk can be safely managed in the community even on conditions, and we decline parole.
  9. Mr Cherry will be seen again in March 2024 and by the end of that month at the latest.

Ms M Coleman

Panel Convenor