Nyal Heke, 36, who was locked up for nearly a decade in 2018 on two charges of rape, had his term increased to 11 years following an assault in Otago Corrections Facility’s exercise yard a few months later.
At a hearing last month, the Parole Board heard Heke had both sex and serious violence convictions on his criminal record preceding his latest prison sentence.
A psychologist assessed him as a high risk of violence and an above-average risk of sexual reoffending.
"Mr Heke is a high-risk recidivist offender with high reintegration needs," panel convener Judge Geoffrey Ellis said.
"The board has specific advice regarding the potential reintegration path and it is our view that needs to be followed with care."
The prisoner had been making progress, the board heard, but "regressed with a significant misconduct" in June last year.
Details of the transgression were not provided.
Heke had been on parole in 2017 when he met a woman in central Dunedin and asked her to go home with him.
When she declined, he followed her up High St and pushed her into a bushed walkway where he twice violated her.
In the ensuing days, the victim discovered his identity and messaged him on Facebook, demanding an apology.
Heke duly provided it, and the message was shown to the jury which took little time to convict him of the charges.
While behind bars, the sex offender came into contact with 47-year-old Grant Steven Bowden, who had been remanded in custody on burglary charges.
The man’s erratic behaviour had drawn complaints from some of the other inmates and a 10-day coronial hearing in 2023 heard he had been struggling with his mental health.
The inquest was shown CCTV footage of Bowden shadow-boxing with Heke until the latter knocked the victim down with a punch to the head.
He was left severely disabled and unable to swallow food or fluids and developed a chest infection, which ultimately led to his death in Auckland more than a year later.
Heke pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent to injure and was sentenced just weeks before Bowden died.
The Parole Board heard Heke had completed sex offender treatment as well as six months of individual sessions with a psychologist.
Judge Ellis endorsed the plan as suggested by the clinician: for Heke to reduce his security status, transition to self-care accommodation, undertake employment outside the wire and then reintegrative activities such as guided releases.
While an accommodation provider had accepted Heke, there was no bed currently available for him.
He will see the Parole Board again in April.
His sentence expires in February 2028.
rob.kidd@odt.co.nz , Court reporter
