Despite spending more than three years in prison, a violent offender shows no empathy for his victims, a report says.
Jamie Lester Dawson (42), who is serving a jail term of three and a-half years at Otago Corrections Facility, was due to appear before the Parole Board last month.
Instead, he sent a note.
''I am out in August,'' it said.
Dawson, who has 73 convictions to his name and four protection orders against him for four different women, will be released on August 5 - his sentence end date - despite showing little understanding of the harm he caused.
''Despite the fact that Mr Dawson has completed a Stopping Violence course, there are explicit comments reported in the parole assessment report which indicate that consideration and empathy for his victims were not among the lessons Mr Dawson may have learned,'' panel convener Judge Geoffrey Ellis said.
Dawson's most recent violent offences included punching and kicking his girlfriend before brandishing a hammer.
He had attacked her five days earlier too, punching her in the face and kicking her as she lay on the ground.
Dawson then held her down and punched her in the leg.
As she tried to leave the property, he stood in her way with the hammer and told her he would ''take her head off her shoulders''.
At his previous parole hearing, the board had asked the prisoner for a more robust release proposal.
But none was forthcoming.
The woman at the address where Dawson was planning to live thought it inappropriate he live there and there was little else in place to indicate there would be a smooth transition to life on the outside.
''He has no confirmed employment,'' Judge Ellis said.
''The extent of his support in Dunedin is questionable.''
Despite Dawson's desire to live there, the board imposed conditions including a ban from the wider Dunedin area.
Other conditions included:
- Not to possess alcohol or drugs.
- To comply with electronic monitoring.
- To inform Probation about any employment changes.
- To take any medication as prescribed.
- To attend appointments with a mental-health provider as directed.
- To attend an alcohol and drug assessment and any treatment as a result.
- To disclose details to Probation of commencement of any intimate relationship.
- To live at an approved address.
- Not to contact any victim.
