High-risk rapist asks to be freed for treatment
At age 10, Mark David Chisnall began his preoccupation with sex after watching porn, and by 14 he had committed his first rape.
The former Whanganui man was sent to prison at 18 with multiple convictions for sexual offences and was jailed for 11 years – a sentence that ended in April. His victims include an 8-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy.
Chisnall is now 31, and he wants to get out of Christchurch Men’s Prison. That’s despite the Corrections Department having an interim detention order allowing them to hold him because of his high risk of reoffending, even though his sentence is over.
Chisnall is asking the Supreme Court to overturn the order and yesterday his lawyer, Tony Ellis, said Chisnall had a multitude of problems including PTSD, being on the autism spectrum, depression and ADHD.
His background, outlined in previous court judgments, was troubled. He alleges he suffered physical abuse as a child.
He was described as being aggressive through kindergarten and school with regular involvement in assaults. He had learning difficulties.
Reports disclose that when he was 10, he watched a pornographic movie in which women were raped and killed, which led to an interest in movies depicting rape and violence, and he was sexually preoccupied from that age.
Reports to the Parole Board said Chisnall was likely to act out rape fantasies.
Ellis told the Supreme Court Chisnall needed to be properly treated, which would lower his risk of reoffending. He said the interim detention order was effectively a punishment of preventive detention
Chisnall wants to live in Hamilton, where he thought he was going to be paroled to before the order was made.
Ellis said Chisnall would not be out in public unsupervised, and would likely be subject to a supervision order.
Deputy Solicitor General Virginia Hardy, appearing for Corrections, said reports talked about Chisnall’s paranoia, sexual deviancy and offending on bail previously.
The Supreme Court has reserved its decision.