Cameron Charles Presland appeared before the New Zealand Parole Board yesterday morning and was granted parole only 18 months into his jail sentence of four years and nine months.
Presland was jailed in June 2015 after crashing his unregistered and unwarranted car — killing passengers Shannon and Danielle Kiriau, and injuring Courtney Donald and Caitlin Adams — on the Southern Motorway in May 2014.Courtney’s father, Bruce Donald, labelled the decision to grant parole "disgusting".
"We are in shock," he said yesterday.
"I’m p..... off, to be honest.
"He might be out and able to spend Christmas with his family. [Shannon and Danielle’s mother] Beverley and her family will never have their kids home for Christmas."
He felt the justice system had let his family down again after they expressed their belief before Presland’s sentencing that four years and nine months’ jail was not long enough.
"It just seems like what we have said and done and written has fallen on deaf ears," he said.
"They could have rung and said ‘we are seriously thinking about letting him out. What do you think we should do?’ but nothing.
"A police officer quoted to me once: ‘it’s not a justice system, it’s a legal system’. Which once again that’s what has happened.
"I’m blown away."
The mother of the Kiriau siblings, Beverley de’Blecourt, said her family was reeling after hearing the news.
"It’s a bit of a blow to us all," she said.
"But we can’t do anything about it. We can’t get him back inside.
"The whole family, even the extended family, aren’t happy about it."
Presland would be subject to parole conditions until 2020 but it was little solace to the victims, who felt he should have served the entire jail term behind bars.
Presland, then a learner driver and having consumed alcohol earlier in the night, got behind the wheel of his illegally modified 1996 Honda Integra early on May 18, 2014.
The car was travelling at speeds of between 142kmh and 163kmh when he lost control on a moderate bend on the motorway, near Green Island.
Front-seat passenger Shannon was killed when the car slammed into a metal lamppost. Courtney and Danielle were thrown from the vehicle as it spun out of control.
Danielle — who was Presland’s girlfriend — died at the scene, while Courtney was taken to Dunedin Hospital in a critical condition. Caitlin, the car’s other passenger, sustained fractures to both hands, concussion and bruising.Courtney suffered horrific injuries and remained in intensive care for a month after the crash.
She underwent 16 operations during hours of surgery for her injuries and needed her pelvis reconnected to her spine, her left hip reconstructed and her right hip bolted and lost part of her tongue.
A parole board spokesman confirmed Presland had been granted parole.
He could not comment on Presland’s release date or the conditions of his release as the hearing’s outcome was reserved by the board.
It was expected to be publicly available next month.
