Parole denied for pharmacy robber
A DUNEDIN man who robbed the same pharmacy twice in four months will remain behind bars for at least another six months.
Clinton Michael Dearman (51) is serving a sevenandahalfyear stretch for the two heists of Forbury Pharmacy in 2012 in which he carried a knife and demanded controlled drugs.
Dearman wore a balaclava during the first incident in July when he locked staff in a room.
In November, he returned to the pharmacy at closing time, demanded more drugs, then taped the hands of the staff behind their backs before locking them in the toilet.
The prisoner also made headlines for a bungled burglary of the Christchurch Petanque Club in 2005, in which he was hogtied by elderly members as they waited for police to arrive.
He was jailed for nearly two and ahalf years over the debacle.
The man, who had racked up five pages of convictions and served jail terms since 1987, came before the Parole Board this month, providing letters of support from several people.
‘‘He clearly wishes to be released,’’ panel convener Jim Thomson noted.
But it was not to be. Mr Thomson said the two armed pharmacy robberies were ‘‘particularly serious’’.
‘‘The board is therefore concerned about the nature and seriousness of any likely subsequent offending,’’ he said.
When Dearman last came up for parole a year ago, the board heard he had completed the Drug Treatment Unit and was starting the Special Treatment Unit Rehabilitation Programme.
A psychologist reported the prisoner had done the core elements of the course but it had not all gone smoothly.
‘‘Initially during the programme, Mr Dearman was somewhat guarded, defensive and collusive with the antisocial attitudes of others,’’ the board was told.
‘‘The psychologist also notes that Mr Dearman tended to have difficulty in receiving feedback from others and at times gave aggressive responses . . . The feedback from staff indicates that Mr Dearman moved between providing a mature attitude of change within the community, and at other times reverting to an oppositional and manipulative position.’’
The board suggested Dearman should continue developing his newly learned ‘‘prosocial skills’’ in a less restrictive environment, such as the employment yard at Rolleston Prison.
He would next be seen by the Parole Board in February.
Dearman’s sentence end date is May 2020.