Matthew Garland Kelly, 30, will see the Parole Board in the coming weeks after being recalled to continue serving his 12-and-a-half-year prison term.
Documents sent to the Otago Daily Times from an anonymous source showed the man was returned to jail in September after an array of "highly concerning" incidents while on parole.
When authorities packed up his belongings at his supported accommodation — a "highly structured and supportive environment", according to the board — they found a photo of a child along with letters from a high-risk sex offender serving preventive detention (an indefinite prison term) at the Otago Corrections Facility.
There were also calls between the pair that indicated regular contact and evidence of "collusive behaviour" in trying to deceive the Parole Board regarding the photo.
Kelly was originally jailed for five years after his electronic devices were seized following a raid at his home, NZME reported.
They revealed he had contacted a 24-year-old Auckland woman and paid her $300 to send a video of her performing a sex act on her infant child.
Among other illegal material were videos of children involved in sex acts with adults and bestiality recordings, NZME reported.
In 2019, Kelly had another seven and a-half years added to his sentence over sex offences committed against two teenage girls, one of whom he raped in a park beside a church.
Kelly completed a specialist child sex offender course while in prison and undertook individual sessions with a psychologist.
He told the Parole Board in April that he was a changed man.
"He said he recognises his triggers, acknowledges he now has coping mechanisms, and believes he has his aggression and emotional regulation issues under much better control," panel convener Serina Bailey noted.
Despite a psychologist saying Kelly remained an above-average risk of sexual reoffending, he was released with more than four years remaining on his sentence.
But within a couple of months he was displaying "heightened sexual behaviour".
Kelly had emailed a former partner 17 times and discussed his two teen victims, and the following month it was discovered he had used a computer to search music videos by the artist Sia, showing "young female children dancing".
At a recall hearing, the Christchurch Men’s Prison inmate accepted he would remain locked up.
Kelly explained he "fell back into his old coping mechanisms and went on autopilot to make himself feel better".
Corrections had since ensured he was unable to contact the high-risk Otago prisoner.
Timeline
Sept 2016: Matthew Kelly is jailed for five years for a slew of online sex offending
Jan 2019: Seven and a-half years are added to his term for sex attacks on two girls
May 2024: Kelly is released on parole despite remaining an above-average risk of further sex offending
Aug 2024: He emails a former partner and discusses two of his victims
Sept 2024: Kelly is found to be searching online for music videos featuring young girls.
Authorities find a photo of a girl in his room and letters from a high-risk sex offender at the Otago Corrections Facility
Oct 2024: The Parole Board approves a final recall for Kelly to continue serving his sentence
Apr 2025: Kelly will apply for parole again
