New Zealand Parole Board -

Parole Hearing

Under section 21(2) of the Parole Act 2002

Quentin DUFF

Hearing: 28 March 2024

at Auckland South Corrections Facility via MS Teams

Members of the Board:

Sir Ron Young – Chairperson

Dr J Skipworth

Mr L Tawera

Mr P Elenio

Counsel:  Ms E Priest

In Attendance: [withheld] - Case Manager

Support Persons: [withheld]

DECISION OF THE BOARD

1. Mr Duff, who is 51 years of age, was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder in 2008.  He murdered his then partner in a very brutal attack on her.  At that time, he was in a senior position in the Mongrel Mob in Porirua.  Prior to the offending he had three pages of convictions including other violence towards women, traffic offending, drug possession and driving charges.
2. We last saw him in July 2023.  Mr Duff had been a long term committed member of the Mongrel Mob and had, as we have said, been in senior positions.  He had completed all of his relevant rehabilitation at that stage having competed the STU:VO and one‑on‑one sessions with a psychologist and no further work was indicated.
3. He had had a misconduct in May 2022 with possession of a cellphone, but otherwise good conduct in prison.  He said he wanted to leave the Mongrel, Mob and discussed a plan for him to surrender his patch.  We indicated our concern that offering or the possibly of him surrendering his patch would not necessarily convince us he had left the gang.  If, in fact, he had left the Mongrel Mob, we wanted certainty.
4. We repeated what we had said in July 2022, that we wanted reintegrative testing for Mr Duff.  We accepted that that was unlikely to occur in Rimutaka Prison and so Mr Duff was transferred to Auckland South Prison.  He had a period of time in the kitchen working, but that did not work out.  He said to us today that he found a number of jobs to do and difficult to cope with.  Eventually he was employed on internal grounds work within the prison.
5. There was one incident mentioned in the Parole Assessment Report when he said that he should quit his grounds work because he was not being paid properly.  It turns out in fact he was not being paid properly and while threatening to quit may not have been the best way forward for him we can understand his frustration. We invited him to consider what alternative ways of dealing with that then might be.
6. Mr Duff sought parole today to a release to [withheld].  He has had an extensive whānau hui at [withheld] with over 20 members of his whānau present.  It was very reassuring to see the extensive support that they say they can provide to him on release.  There are reasonable prospects of employment and although those offers are not in writing and specific in that sense, we think it probable he will be able to obtain employment quite quickly.  He has very good support with [withheld] who appeared today, [withheld], who will offer him accommodation.
7. We consider however further reintegrative testing is important. We are advised he is to go to the Auckland South Board in May 2024 to be considered for release to work. His case manager said that she could not see any reason why he would not get released to work.
8. One factor that may be an impediment is that in the Parole Assessment Report it said that the victims asked that Mr Duff not be released to Auckland.  Ordinarily that might be an impediment for release to work in Auckland.  The information we have is that while the victims would like him prevented from living in Auckland, they live in a suburb distant from South Auckland. If there could be a plan for him for release to work in South Auckland where his obligation was simply to travel from the prison to his place of employment in South Auckland and return being electronically monitored throughout, we think that kind of release could be properly supported and would be supported by the Board.
9. We hope that he can have a period on release to work.  As we have said we think he does have a good release plan.  We will see him again by the end of October 2024 with the hope that further testing has been able to progress, and the release plan remains.
10. Further matters, given he is being released to [withheld] where there is a significant Mongrel Mob presence.  There will need to be discussion between Mr Duff and his whānau and the [withheld] Mongrel Mob.  Perhaps [withheld], the kaumatua, could facilitate that so that Mr Duff can have a safe release to [withheld].
11. Secondly, it may be that before the October 2024 date he could be transferred to Tongariro Prison so that he could have some guided releases into the community he is hoping to be released to.
12. Mr Duff told us he had surrendered his gang patch to the Porirua Mongrel Mob. We would like confirmation. We invite his Case Manager to contact the Police gang liaison officer in Porirua to see if indeed his patch has been surrendered and report to the Board at the next hearing.