Scott Watson can be ‘safely managed in the community’, lawyer says

Friday, 31 May 2024

A decision about whether convicted murderer Scott Watson is ready to be released from jail has been delayed after the Parole Board questioned his risk of reoffending.

Watson - convicted of murdering Marlborough friends Olivia Hope and Ben Smart in January 1998 - appeared before the Parole Board on Friday morning from prison via video-link.

Watson has always denied killing Hope and Smart after a New Year’s Eve party at Furneaux Lodge in the Marlborough Sounds, but was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 2000.

He remains in a Canterbury jail, having been denied parole four times.

At Friday’s parole hearing, panel convenor Sir Ron Young questioned why various psychological reports done over the past three years differ in their findings about Watson’s risk of reoffending.

Young said a report in November 2021 found Watson was at high to very high risk of reoffending, while a Department of Corrections psychological report in September 2023 assessed him as being at medium risk of reoffending. A recent private psychological report assessed him as low risk.

“Obviously that is a potentially confusing array of various assessments over quite a long period of time,” Young said.

“We want to be clear in our own mind precisely what Mr Watson’s risk of reoffending is.”

Watson’s lawyer, Kerry Cook, pointed out the two most recent reports agreed Watson was “presenting with a level of risk that can be safely managed in the community”.

Cook said the reports showed there had been “a change” in risk.

Young questioned what this change was triggered by.

“Of course risk can change. Risk generally changes because people do rehabilitation, come to understand why they’ve offended the way they have, and thereby they reduce their risk - and that’s perfectly understandable.

“But none of that applies in Mr Watson’s case. So we were, I guess, struggling to identify what were the factors that had caused the change to go from high or very high down to medium and the fact that he would be able to be released - which seemed like a huge difference over a short period of time without any identifying reasons that we could understand.”

He proposed a hearing be convened where the different psychologists appear before the Parole Board and answer questions about their reports so board members could understand the varying risk assessments.

Cook did not oppose the suggestion, but voiced concern about when such a hearing would be able to happen.

Watson listened intently as Young and Cook spoke. He had two supporters present at the hearing, one via video-link.

On a question from Young about the progress of his current psychological treatment in prison, Watson said he had one session remaining, during which a safety plan (a plan detailing how individuals who have been in prison can be supported to transition back into society) will be finalised.

When asked by Young if he had anything to add or ask, Watson answered: “No, no, just a thank you for letting me be here today.”

The hearing was adjourned to a date still to be determined.

Watson’s case is set to be reconsidered by the Court of Appeal on June 10.