Michael John Chilcott was 21 when he knocked on the door of a Dunedin woman he had never met, asking for a glass of water.
The bloody events of November 19, 2011, resulted in him being jailed for nearly a decade.
Last month, the Parole Board determined the man was now safe to release.
“Mr Chilcott has continued with the good progress he has been making and the board is of the view now that he has done sufficient [work] to warrant him being released on parole,” panel convener Judge Neil MacLean said.
After being allowed into his victim’s home, the defendant left the property but returned 20 seconds later with dark intentions.
Chilcott asked for more water and when the woman turned, he followed her into the house, smashed her with the mug he was holding and bundled her into a bedroom.
He threatened to harm the victim’s child if she did not comply.
After pushing her on to the bed, he pinned her down and forced himself on her.
As she struggled to repel Chilcott, he pulled a pair of scissors from his pocket and thrust them into her neck with such force she felt the blade hit the roof of her mouth.
He continued to inflict wounds until the victim wrestled the makeshift weapon from him.
There was no respite, however, as Chilcott then throttled her.
The struggle ceased temporarily when he fell off the bed, vomited and questioned what he had done.
The attacker made the woman promise she would not call police if he left the flat.
She agreed but as she went to check on her child, Chilcott pounced again.
He forced a pillow over her face.
The victim — who later credited her martial-arts training as being critical to her escape — managed to wriggle away from her assailant.
Chilcott threatened to hurt her child if she did not return to the bedroom.
Instead, the woman grabbed the child and sprinted to the road, where she flagged down a passing motorist, who took her to hospital.
She underwent surgery for five stab wounds to her neck and three behind her ear.
Chilcott told the Parole Board last month he now understood the underlying reason behind his attack.
He said that it was down to “suppressed anger and issues from his past”, which he had addressed with a counsellor last year while behind bars.
Issues had arisen regarding Chilcott’s accommodation on parole but his boss on the release-to-work programme had offered him full-time employment and a place to live on-site, the board heard.
Judge MacLean noted the man had strong ongoing support from his parents and one supporter planned to live with him for the first few months following his release.
His conditions of release included. —
- To live at an address approved by Probation.
- To abide by a 10pm-6am curfew until December 1.
- To attend mental-health appointments as directed.
- To attend alcohol and drugs treatment as directed.
- Not to possess alcohol or non-prescription drugs.
- To attend a reintegration meeting within a month of release.
- Not to contact any victims.
