Parole for woman who shot gang member

A WOMAN who shot a gang member she said had been threatening her family has been released from prison with 18 months of her sentence remaining.

Annabelle Wyant (37) pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was sentenced before the High Court at Dunedin to four years five months’ imprisonment in December 2015.

Wyant had been drinking alcohol throughout the day of the incident and had also used ecstasy.

After picking her children up from school, she took a pistol from her bedroom, loaded it and drove to the victim’s home.

Wyant sounded her horn, and when the man came out she shot him in the chest without warning.

When she tried to fire a second shot, the weapon malfunctioned and the victim managed to wrestle it from her.

The man was choppered to hospital and discharged six days later.

Wyant handed herself in to police and said she had wanted to stop the man threatening her and her family.

She first came before the Parole Board in February after completing the Drug Treatment Programme.

She had since been transferred to the ‘‘selfcare villas’’ and spoke highly of the treatment she had received in Christchurch Women’s Prison.

‘‘She said that through it she has learned appropriate ways of solving problems. She has also increased her selfconfidence,’’ panel convener Marion Frater said.

The board said Wyant’s release plan, which would see her live in an isolated part of the country, was a strong one.

‘‘Ms Wyant is obviously a good worker. She has clear plans for occupying her time and obtaining an income. She will manage the kina quota she inherited from [withheld] and maintain beehives on the property. She will attend counselling in [withheld] with a woman she established a strong relationship with when she was on bail, before sentencing. And she has family support,’’ the parole board report this week stated.

A psychologist assessed the woman as a medium risk of further offending and having a moderate level of reintegrative need.

The Parole Board ordered her release to be monitored after six months on the outside. Her probation officer will file a report in February next year and if it identified any areas of concern the woman would end up back before the board.

Wyant’s parole conditions included: attending a ‘‘maintenance group’’ as directed by Probation; undertaking any treatment or counselling as directed; living at an approved address; not contacting victims of offending; not using alcohol or drugs; attending a hearing as directed by the Parole Board.