Raymond John Belsey, 30, remains untreated but the Parole Board, in a decision recently released to the Otago Daily Times, said there was now no time for him to enter specialist programmes for sexual or violent offenders, given his sentence would expire in August.
The board heard Belsey had refused sessions with a psychologist and in the clinician’s most recent report from 2022, he was assessed as presenting a ‘‘very high risk’’ of general offending and a high risk of further violence.
In July 2020, while serving time for a robbery, the inmate was double-bunked with his victim.
The pair clashed while watching television after Belsey made sexualised comments about a young girl who featured in an advertisement.
Belsey jumped down from the top bunk, the Dunedin District Court heard at trial, and slammed the television on the floor.
He then pinned the victim against the wall and committed the violation before returning to his own bed, where he continued to perform an indecent act.
Belsey was found guilty at trial but has maintained his claims of innocence since.
Legal challenges in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, however, were thrown out and a jail term of nearly six years remained in place.
Despite his lengthy period behind bars, the Parole Board heard Belsey had failed to line up transitional accommodation for his release.
He had also lost contact with whanau, the report noted.
Belsey chose not to appear before the board for his final hearing last month but explained, in a ‘‘very polite’’ letter, he had gained employment in the Otago Corrections Facility kitchen and prioritised that.
Because he will have served his entire sentence, the board could only impose conditions that will run for six months following his release.
They include:
• To live at an approved address.
• Not to possess alcohol or non-prescription drugs.
• To attend any treatment as directed.
• Not to contact any victim.
• To disclose to Probation details of any new relationships.
