Ian Dallison, 66, was sentenced to almost seven years in April 2023 after pleading guilty to attempted murder and other charges.
He was convicted on one charge of attempting to murder Alberto Ceccarelli and one of wounding Ceccarelli’s wife with intent to commit grievous bodily harm in August 2022.
On the day of the attack Dallison was adjudicated bankrupt on an application by Ceccarelli and an associate who owned a commercial building that Dallison previously leased. Later that day, Dallison drove his red Porsche to Ceccarelli’s home.
Dallison entered Ceccareli's Lyttleton home at about 7.40pm that night while he was eating dinner.
He fired a Ruger semi-automatic pistol, the bullet narrowly missing Ceccerelli's head, lodging itself in the doorframe over his right shoulder.
Dallison was sentenced in the High Court to six years and 10 months but released on parole in June this year.
His parole conditions include not being able to enter the Canterbury area.
However, the New Zealand Herald reported Dallison now says this was impeding his reintegration into the community. He has made an application to the Parole Board to vary his conditions.
He is living at an approved address in Marlborough but wants to relocate to Canterbury where his partner District Court judge Jane Farish was based, the Herald reported.
Dallison appeared before the board on Tuesday, where his lawyer Kerry Cook said he was “not an undue risk” to the community, the Herald reported.
“He doesn’t want Christchurch, he hasn’t asked for Christchurch… he wants an area outside Christchurch … out of respect for the victims,” Cook said.
“We’ve had five months of exemplary conduct, no issues whatsoever.”
Under his current conditions, Dallison cannot re-enter Canterbury without approval from his probation officer. He had not applied to do so since his release from prison.
The Herald reported that Cook said the current conditions prohibiting him from entering Canterbury were "onerous".
Dallison’s victims opposed the variation to his conditions, and he was asked how he thought they would feel if they saw him again.
"If I saw them, I would be turning in the opposite direction ... Naturally, they would feel anxious. Frightened. Probably hesitate on the spot and frozen, wondering what’s going to happen next."
The board decided to adjourn the hearing until December 22 so a further report could be made before any final ruling.
It also indicated Dallison would likely have residential restrictions, including a curfew, if he were allowed to relocate to Canterbury.
-Allied Media
