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Serial convicted sex offender – former school principal – could be up for release soon

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Stuff News (20/05/13) reported: “A former school principal imprisoned in 2010 for more than eight years for sexually abusing [male] students could be released as early as August 2013”. He was first seen for a parole in May 2013, but the hearing was carried over until August. The Parole Board Report released its report on 6 August 2013 and turned down his request for parole. He is next to appear before the Board for another hearing in July 2014.

Back on on 1 August 2010 The Sunday Herald reported. “A convicted offender is still registered on the New Zealand Teachers Council website despite being convicted for molesting boys in two different schools in the early 1990s…. Elvis Dobson Shepherd was suspended  on full pay in November 2007 after being charged with sexually abusing students at both Hato Paora (St Paul) College [at Chelterham in Feilding] and Hato Petera College [in Northcote] Auckland.”

[See: http://archive.teacherscouncil.govt.nz/rt/onlineregister.stm Reg. No. 177105. Mr Shepherd’s teacher registration was eventually cancelled and he was recorded on the Teachers Council website as under “censure”, but not until some months after he was sentenced to a jail term of eight years and four months in September 2010].

Elvis Dobson Shepherd, 52, also known as Tihirau, was found guilty on 30 July 2010 on two counts of sexual violation by oral sexual connection and two counts of indecent assault while he was teaching Te Reo Maori in an experimental total immersion unit at Hato Petera College, a Maori Catholic boarding school on Auckland’s North Shore, in the early 1990s. [Prior to that he had taught for some time at Wellington High School in the Te Reo Maori language – total immersion unit].

At the time of his sentencing in September 2010, Shepherd, was principal of Feilding’s Hato Paora College and was promoted to the position in 2002 despite warnings from Hato Petera.

When the allegations first surfaced in November 2007 he was stood down as principal on full pay and remained on full until  he was sentenced in September 2010.

He was also charged with sexual abuse against Hato Paora students, but two separate juries could not reach verdicts in relation to some of the charges while he was found not guilty of others.

When sentenced Shepherd’s continued lack of remorse and denial of the proven charges was noted.

In a parole decision the board noted there were still “question marks” over Shepherd’s insight into his offending.

“For example, the psychologist referred to his limited empathy for the welfare of the victims and an overemphasis on meeting his own needs, which were said to have been likely to have precipitated the offending.”

But a comprehensive proposal put forward by Shepherd and his whanau that involved him completing the SAFE Programme for sexual offenders while in the community had merit, it said.

However, the address put forward for Shepherd to reside at had not been put to probation for consideration so could not be considered.

The board postponed the meeting until August 1, 2013 so Shepherd’s whanau could organise a hui with probation, the SAFE network and other interested parties so discussion could take place about the release proposal and his acceptance of the offending.

Source

Sex offender could be up for release

Story by Shane Cowlishaw

Stuff News 20 May 2013

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/8694850/Sex-offender-could-be-up-for-release

No Parole for ‘deviant’ principal

Story by Sam Boyer. 7 August 2013.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/9013153/No-parole-for-deviant-principal

No parole for former school principal with “deviant sexual preferences”

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A former school principal jailed for sexually abusing students has had his first parole bid declined, despite assurances he had a job lined up.

Elvis Dobson Shepherd, 52, was found guilty on two counts of sexual violation by oral sexual connection and two counts of indecent assault while he was teaching and living at Hato Petera College, a Maori Catholic boarding school on Auckland’s North Shore, in the early 1990s.

At the time of his sentencing in 2010 to eight years and four months’ jail time, he was principal of Feilding’s Hato Paora College.

Shepherd was first seen for parole in May, but the hearing was carried over until this month. The Parole Board declined his parole in their decision issued yesterday.

A psychological assessment report put Shepherd’s overall risk at medium low, with references made to a lack of capacity for relationship stability and deviant sexual preferences.

Proposals from Shepherd’s whanau group for his release included a ready-made job, the board said.

”We are told there is employment available to Mr Shepherd… as a consultant providing education resources. [The employers] are aware that there could not be any direct contact with children and that the employment would have to be related solely to administration and consultation.”

Other proposals included the possibility of electronic monitoring and an understanding Shepherd not enter ”any school, playground, park/reserve or place where children are likely to congregate unless under direct supervision”.

But, ultimately, the board decided he was not yet ready for parole, and would not be until he had completed the ”short intervention programme”.

”We believe all of the proposals for conditions are sound, but that leaves us still with the decision as to whether Mr Shepherd can satisfy us that he no longer poses an undue risk… and that such risk as he does pose can be adequately managed on parole.”

Although the board received letters of support from whanu and community, the submissions from his victims were damning, the board said.

”These submissions strongly assert that Mr Shepherd has used Maori institutions, Tikanga Maori, Te Reo Maori, and Maori education to further his own ends and to cover his behaviour.

”By way of conclusion, the submissions say that Mr Shepherd is manipulative and untrustworthy. They say that he has used his influence for his own ends and dressed this up as helping others.”

Shepherd will be seen again in July next year, following with an updated psychologist assessment.

Source

No parole for ‘deviant’ principal

Story by Craig Boyer. 7 August 2013

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/9013153/No-parole-for-deviant-principal

Parole Board postpones hearing on sex offender – former school principal

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A former school principal imprisoned in 2010 for more than eight years for sexually abusing students could be released as early as August.

Elvis Dobson Shepherd, 52, was found guilty on two counts of sexual violation by oral sexual connection and two counts of indecent assault while he was teaching and living at Hato Petera College, a Maori Catholic boarding school on Auckland’s North Shore, in the early 1990s.

At the time of his sentencing in 2010, Shepherd was principal of Feilding’s Hato Paora College and was promoted to the position despite warnings from Hato Petera.

He was also charged with sexual abuse against Hato Paora students, but two separate juries could not reach verdicts in relation to some of the charges while he was found not guilty of others.

When sentenced Shepherd’s continued lack of remorse and denial of the proven charges was noted.

In a parole decision released to The Dominion Post,  the board noted there were still “question marks” over Shepherd’s insight into his offending.

“For example, the psychologist referred to his limited empathy for the welfare of the victims and an overemphasis on meeting his own needs, which were said to have been likely to have precipitated the offending.”

A psychological assessment report put Shepherd’s overall risk at medium low, with reference made to a lack of capacity for relationship stability, and deviant sexual preferences.

But a comprehensive proposal put forward by Shepherd and his whanau, which involved him completing the SAFE Programme for sexual offenders while in the community had merit, it said.

However, the address put forward for Shepherd to reside at had not been put to probation for consideration so could not be considered.

The Parole Board postponed its hearing until August 1 so Shepherd’s whanau could organise a hui with probation, the SAFE network and other interested parties so discussion could take place about the release proposal and his acceptance of the offending.

Source:

Parole Board highlights abuser ‘question marks’

The Dominion Post. Tuesday May 21, 2013, p. A4. Story by Shane Cowlishaw

Online version

Fairfax NZ News

Earlier stories:

Jail for sex-abusing ex-Principal. By Bronwyn Torrie.  16/09/2010

Former Hato Paora principal Elvis Dobson Shepherd has been imprisoned for more than eight years for sexually abusing students at an Auckland school, yet he is still proclaiming his innocence.

The 49-year-old’s continued lack of remorse and denial of the proven charges was noted by Justice Robert Dobson in the High Court at Palmerston North yesterday.

Earlier this year, a jury found Shepherd guilty on two counts of sexual violation by oral sexual connection and two counts of indecent assault…

Justice Dobson said while Shepherd still denied the victims’ version of events, he accepted the essence of their evidence.

“I have to hold you accountable for the harm you have done to your victims and to the community.”…

The 49-year-old was sentenced to eight years and four months’ imprisonment in the High Court at Palmerston North yesterday for sexually abusing two teenage boys in the early 1990s.

His offending occurred while he was a teacher and dorm master at Hato Petera.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/4135298/Jail-for-sex-abusing-ex-principal