The Parole Board agreed to release him from prison in June this year, subject to several conditions, including one that he attend a progress hearing. <\/p>\n
That hearing took place yesterday.<\/p>\n
As part of the hearing, Dallison told the board he was \u201cgrateful\u201d to be on parole and was \u201cstarting to reintegrate into society and normal life\u201d.<\/p>\n
He was \u201cnaturally apprehensive\u201d when he was first released because of media coverage of his release. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn reality, that was unfounded. I have been able to move and adjust into society okay,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI keep to myself, I keep busy doing individual activities and work around the home where I\u2019m staying. Initially, I anticipated there might have been problems, but I haven\u2019t seen any problems.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was playing golf and I joined up with another guy, and after two or three hours he said, \u2018I realise who you are, but that\u2019s okay\u2019. He was upfront about it, and we carried on in a normal fashion.\u201d<\/p>\n
His lawyer, Kerry Cook, told the board that Dallison had shown \u201cexemplary compliance\u201d with his parole conditions since his release.<\/p>\n
Dallison was taking a \u201cvictim-focused approach\u201d to his rehabilitation and reintegration and was making \u201ctherapeutic progress\u201d.<\/p>\n
Dr Ian Dallison and his partner, Judge Jane Farish. Composite photo \/ NZME<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is acutely aware of the harm he has caused,\u201d Cook said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has used therapy to change his focus from financial success to \u2026 relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cook made an application to the board to vary Dallison\u2019s parole conditions so he could move back to the wider Canterbury area.<\/p>\n
He would still be excluded from Christchurch city and Banks Peninsula to ensure he had no contact with his victims. But he wanted to move to the \u201cwest Canterbury\u201d area and buy a property so he could be closer to his support network.<\/p>\n
Dallison said he was doing well on parole, he felt his life was \u201cin limbo\u201d living so far from the place he\u2019d spent his whole life, and where his main support people were. <\/p>\n
\u201cI have no desire to be in Christchurch itself,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut I feel it\u2019s time, I want to move forward in my pathway to reintegration.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lawyer Kerry Cook. Photo \/ NZMW<\/p>\n
The board pointed out that Dallison had been out of prison for only a matter of months, and his desire to change his conditions so soon could be seen as highlighting a lack of insight into the harm he had caused his victims. <\/p>\n
Dallison disagreed with that and said he was prepared to \u201ckeep more than a respectful distance from them\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe thing is, I\u2019m proposing still having a significant exclusion zone to protect the victims and being respectful of them in that way – but also it allows me to move forward,\u201d he argued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it is going to be better for everyone involved if I\u2019m moving forward in my life. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve formally apologised to them, I\u2019ve said I\u2019d be open to restorative justice \u2026 but apart from that, there is little I can do to reassure them that I don\u2019t have any negative thoughts about them or I have any thoughts of going and doing anything to them. <\/p>\n
\u201cI can understand they might not agree with that \u2026 but still having an exclusion zone where I would be more than an hour\u2019s travel from their place of residence is still quite reasonable. And I would still have to be monitored.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dallison said he just wanted to be closer to his loved ones and supporters as he \u201cadjusted to retirement\u201d. <\/p>\n
He spoke of feeling lonely at his current residence, and how that had allowed him to \u201cruminate\u201d, which was not ideal.<\/p>\n
He was now focusing on his health and said he was \u201ceating well, playing golf, getting back into my photography\u201d and \u201cfocusing on moving forward\u201d.<\/p>\n
He called at least one support person each day.<\/p>\n
\u201cThings like that keep on top of loneliness,\u201d he explained. <\/p>\n
Cook argued that, while the victims had a right to a view on Dallison\u2019s parole, that view \u201cshould not be determinative\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a societal interest in [his] rehabilitation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The current parole conditions resulted in \u201climitations\u201d to that pathway, as Dallison\u2019s support people were at least a five-hour drive or several flights away. <\/p>\n
Christchurch eye surgeon Ian Dallison.<\/p>\n
The board did not decide on the proposed variation at the hearing because the registered victims had not had sufficient time to consider it and provide a response.<\/p>\n
A further hearing will be held next month to rule formally on the application.<\/p>\n
Further monitoring hearings would not be required. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou are doing well, and we acknowledge that,\u201d the board panel convenor said. <\/p>\n
The crimes of Ian Dallison <\/p>\n
After the Christchurch earthquake, Dallison sold the Merivale property where his eye surgery practice was based to Ceccarelli.<\/p>\n
The property was redeveloped, after which Dallison took on a long-term commercial lease.<\/p>\n
Over the years, his practice struggled financially, and he was unable to meet operating expenses. By the end of 2020, he had incurred a lot of debt, and Ceccarelli evicted him. <\/p>\n
As a result, Dallison was declared bankrupt. Later that day, he went to Ceccarelli\u2019s home and tried to kill him.<\/p>\n