A high-risk sex offender will be in prison until at least next year after the Parole Board heard his inappropriate behaviour had continued behind bars.
At 66, Peter Melvin Bryant had reached the age at which sexual offending rates usually ‘‘drop considerably’’, but board chairwoman Jan-Marie Doogue said his risk showed no sign of decreasing.
Bryant was sentenced to preventive detention in 2003, an indefinite prison term, after racking up numerous convictions for the abuse of boys.
He came before the Dunedin District Court in 2024 after pleading guilty to another 17 indecency charges and was labelled ‘‘a pervert of the worst kind’’ by the victim, who had been living in state care at the time he was targeted.
Bryant had three years seven months added to his sentence, which pushed his parole hearing out to February.
The report from that hearing — released to the Otago Daily Times this week — showed the Auckland South Corrections Facility inmate had been in trouble during his jail stint.
‘‘He has had a history of inappropriate sexual behaviour in prison including sexual misconduct, inappropriate attention being paid to young men, [being] in the possession of a home-made sexual aid,’’ Ms Doogue said.
Bryant had admitted he had an attraction to pre-teen boys.
It was clear Bryant needed further psychological treatment to address his proclivities, Ms Doogue said.
The prisoner was released in 2021, but was recalled to continue serving his sentence six months later after using a computer and entering the library without the permission of Probation.
In January 2022, Bryant was given another chance by the Parole Board.
He was initially given a warning for loitering outside a school in his vehicle and failing to attend appointments with his Probation officer.
In July 2023, Bryant was locked up again after it was discovered he had 50 objectionable images on his phone featuring boys.
His explanation for the explicit material was surprising.
‘‘Somewhat unusually Mr Bryant acknowledged then and now that he believes holding these sorts of images on his phone is a way that he can keep himself safe from giving effect to his sexual urges and sexually offending against young boys again,’’ Ms Doogue said.
Bryant’s next parole hearing is scheduled for February next year.
