By the time Johnathan Andrew Smallbon is next considered for parole he will have been in jail for 20 years after kidnapping a 24-year-old man and subjecting him to a 17-hour sexual attack in Christchurch in 2007. The horrific ordeal came just six months after he was deported from Australia for similar offending.
Smallbon was being monitored by police at the time as he was considered a high risk given his significant history of sexual offending in Australia, which started when he was 15 and included seven years in prison for sex attacks in Sydney on two boys aged 14 and 16.
After the 2007 Christchurch attack, the then 30-year-old was sentenced to an indefinite term of preventive detention.
That means he has to stay in prison until the Parole Board determines he can be released safely. Even when that happens he can still be recalled to prison at any time.
Smallbon first became eligible for parole in 2015 but has had little direct engagement with board. He has previously said that he feels at risk to others and does not want to be released.
His latest scheduled appearance before the board was on September 17 but he waived his right to appear, as he did in 2019 and 2022.
According to a decision released today he has not completed the treatment which the board has said he requires – the Special Treatment Unit Programme for child sex offenders, as well as treatment for alcohol and drug issues.
Smallbon ‘refused to participate’
“Mr Smallbon’s interactions are very limited,” Parole Board convenor Kathryn Snook said in the decision.
“He has refused contact with his case manager and has refused to participate in psychological treatment or indeed the psychological assessment for this board.”
“Over the longer term, Mr Smallbon needs to be willing and able to engage with psychological services and then further responsivity work and treatment will follow,” the report said.
“That is currently not expected in the foreseeable future.”
The board said that in the absence of a significant change in Smallbon’s circumstances, he will not be suitable for release for the next three years.
“We strongly encourage Mr Smallbon to appear at the next board hearing. It is very useful for the board to meet with the person who is the subject of the hearing to discuss their concerns about the way forward.”
While in prison in Australia, Smallbon began a sex offender treatment programme but was exited from it because he was aggressive and abusive towards staff and other inmates.
The latest decision says Smallbon still has “some reactiveness” and had been abusive to a nurse in July this year.
Earlier in his current sentence he participated in 65 individual psychological counselling sessions but indicated he had gained “little” from them.
Johnathan Andrew Smallbon. Photo: Christchurch Star
‘A disturbed and confused young man’
According to New South Wales court documents, Smallbon was brought up in North Canterbury and attended Swannanoa School before moving to Rangiora. Then he went to Australia, where his father lived, in 1995.
When Smallbon was in police custody in Australia he told a psychologist that anger over his sexual orientation led to years of loneliness and unhappiness – and ultimately his offending against other males.
He admitted he wanted to experiment sexually with men, but said his primary motivation was to release his anger.
The psychologist said Smallbon had “directed his aggression and violence against a male society with which he desperately wanted to connect, but which, at the same time, he hated”.
“Mr Smallbon has been, and is, a disturbed and confused young man.”
Smallbon was deported from Australia in August 2006.
He returned to Rangiora but soon moved to Christchurch, where his offending began again.
He was living in a boarding house when he lured a man into his room under the premise of helping move furniture. Smallbon then held a knife to the man’s throat as he was leaving before tying him up on the bed with a telephone cord. He cut the victim’s clothes away, gagged him with his own sock and threatened to kill him.
The sexual attack continued for 17 hours and before Smallbon let the man go he throttled him until he could not breathe.
After Smallbon pleaded guilty, the victim said he had a lot of anger towards his attacker and wanted him locked up forever to protect other young men.
MALE SEXUAL ABUSE SURVIVORS
Where to get help:
If it's an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
• If you've ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone call the confidential crisis helpline Safe to Talk on 0800 044 334 or text 4334. (available 24/7)
• Male Survivors Aotearoa offers a range of confidential support at centres across New Zealand - find your closest one here.
• Men and Trauma New Zealand: 0800 636 263
• Alternatively contact your local police station - click here for a list.
If you have been abused, remember it's not your fault.
