In the matter of the Corrections Act 1997
and
In the matter of an application for parole by Robert John Dunn
3 December 2002
CHAIRMAN: Mr Dunn, the determination of the Board is that subject to one matter it is a case that you will be paroled and you will be paroled with effect from the 10th of December, 2002. The only thing that stands in the way of your parole at the moment is formal notification from the Victim’s Assistance Unit that they don’t have any material for us. I will be notified about that issue later this week and, assuming that there’s no issue that arises from that, you will released next Tuesday. If there is an issue that needs to be considered further, you will put into the meeting prior to Christmas, is that clear?
The Act requires me to have...requires the Board to give reasons for the determination. We take into account the matters that we are required to take into account, under the Corrections Act, specifically we are concerned with the likelihood or probability of you re-offending, the protection of the public, rehabilitation of you as considerations.
We note that you’ve had parole in the past and that that didn’t end happily but there seems to us to be obvious and positive steps that are able to be pointed to that support the proposition that you should be given another opportunity – specifically you’ve made good progress in relation to drug and alcohol matters; which quite clearly have been a problem for you in the past.
You are clearly clean, as far as drugs are concerned, and you’ve been attending Alcoholics Anonymous and have indicated an intention to continue to do that upon release. All of that stands to your credit.
We take into account the Judge’s comments on passing sentence on the 29th of May, 2002. His Honour took the view that it wasn’t a serious example of armed robbery and so it appears to us and, of course, we don’t go behind the sentence in any event, but the comments are important.
We take into account your circumstances upon release, it’s proposed that you will be residing with your partner and her three children in Maydena and there seems to be good reasons for you to be living in an area such as that, away from temptation and potential bad companions.
For all of those reasons we conclude it’s appropriate, subject to what I said at the beginning, to authorise your release on parole. So we will be waiting to hear from the Victim’s Assistance Unit, but if we don’t hear from them you will be released next Tuesday.
