The prominent Christchurch eye surgeon and partner of a District Court judge jailed for attempting to murder his landlord is allowed back into the Canterbury area to live in a property he has purchased.
But strict conditions are in place, including electronic monitoring, to ensure he cannot go anywhere near his still-terrified victims.
Ian Dallison, 66, was jailed for six years and 10 months in April 2023 after pleading guilty to one charge of attempting to murder Alberto Ceccarelli and one of wounding Ceccarelli’s wife with intent to commit grievous bodily harm in August 2022.
The day of the attack, Dallison was adjudicated bankrupt on an application by Ceccarelli and an associate, who owned a commercial building that Dallison previously leased.
The order related to $247,000, most of which was rent owed to the pair.
Later that day, Dallison drove his red Porsche to Ceccarelli’s home.
Inside his car, he had nine firearms and 167 rounds of ammunition. The guns included a loaded Ruger semi-automatic pistol, a loaded Smith & Wesson revolver, a Sterling Model 300 handgun, an Accelerator Model handgun, a Ruger Revolver and a double-barrelled derringer handgun.
He also had a Maglite torch gun loaded with a 410-shotgun round plus two rounds in his jacket pocket, two Mag pen guns, one with a silencer and three Ruger 10/22 magazines.
Dallison burst into his former landlord’s home as he sat at the dinner table with his wife before firing a shot at his head, which only narrowly missed.
In December 2022, he pleaded guilty to charges of attempted murder of Ceccarelli and wounding with intent to injure the man’s wife.
Dallison was sentenced to six years and 10 months in prison.
He was released on parole in June this year – subject to a number of conditions, including that he not enter the Canterbury area.
Over the last few months, Dallison has been battling the Parole Board to change his release conditions so he can move back to Canterbury.
He had been released to an approved address in Marlborough but said it was too far away from his support network, including his partner Jane Farish, a District Court judge.
Dallison appeared before the Parole Board in November.
His lawyer Kerry Cook told the board that Dallison was “not an undue risk” to the community.
He said Dallison had been a “model prisoner … a model parolee” and had “complete respect for his conditions”, never “pushing the boundaries”.
“He doesn’t want Christchurch, he hasn’t asked for Christchurch … he wants an area outside Christchurch … out of respect for the victims,” Cook said.
Cook said the current conditions prohibiting him from entering Canterbury were “onerous” and were effectively hindering his full reintegration into the community.
The board adjourned the hearing to consider various aspects of Dallison’s request, including whether the victims’ concerns about inadvertently having contact with him could be mitigated if the offender was subject to electronic monitoring.
The final decision can now be published.
“The board has previously heard from the victims that they do not want to run the risk of running into Mr Dallison, and they specifically asked if the exclusion zone is varied, could they be given a copy of a map detailing where Mr Dallison may or may not go,” said panel convenor Mary More.
She said Dallison’s property was suitable for electronic monitoring, and he “understands the requirements”.
“We have considered all the evidence and submissions including counsel submissions, reports, Mr Dallison submissions, victim submissions, conversations with support people and conversations with members of the Department of Corrections,” More said.
“Having done so, the board is satisfied that the conditions as varied are reasonable, necessary and proportionate responses to the risk presented by Mr Dallison.
“They are the least restrictive means available to address the specific safety concerns of rehabilitation, reintegration and victim concerns.
“With the imposition of electronically monitored residential restrictions the application of Mr Dallison be able to enter Canterbury and move into accommodation he has purchased will be granted.”
More said the board had also put in place an exclusion zone that would alleviate any concerns by the victims.
“We have taken steps to approve an exclusion zone that the board considers will mitigate any risk that the victims may encounter Mr Dallison and also provide the victims with reassurance that if Mr Dallison were to enter the exclusion zone, there is sufficient time for them to be advised,” she said.
“We are proposing two exemptions to the exclusion zone; Mr Dallison may drive to do his shopping. If he undertakes those journeys, he is to drive directly there and back on a road identified by his probation officer.
“Any variation from that road should result in a consideration of a breach of special conditions.
“Mr Dallison will remain on parole on the standard and special conditions imposed, with the addition of electronically monitored residential restrictions; he is to be subject to a curfew of 10pm to 6am.”
The conditions will be in place until June, and Dallison will remain on parole until his statutory release date.
His release conditions also include not possessing any firearms or ammunition, attending any programme, counselling or treatment ordered by his probation officer, and not having any contact whatsoever with his victims.
In November, Dallison spoke to the board about his release.
“In general terms, the last five months of getting back into society have been an interesting experience, shall we say.”
He said being in Marlborough since his release had allowed him to “find my feet”.
“I just feel now it’s time to start moving further forward. The hard thing is being far away from my support … I get phone calls … it’s not like being able to see them in person,” he said.
“If anything, in prison, I saw more of them at weekly visits. I’ve been reasonably isolated from people, and that’s going to get worse.”
Dallison acknowledged his victims’ views – but assured he was no longer a risk to them.
“I have no way to communicate that with them,” he said.
Dallison spoke about what would happen if his application were rejected.
He noted that in three years, his parole conditions would end, and there would be no restriction on where he could go.
“I will be moving back to Canterbury, and there’s nothing to stop me ... I will be going into Christchurch if need be,” he said.
He also said that to date, he had not applied for one-off permission to come to the Canterbury area to see family.
He claimed that this was so his victims would not be put through a process of being notified each time.
But indicated that if he could not live in the Canterbury area, he would make applications more frequently going forward, so he could see his family and supporters.
“I have resisted invites to go to the region, for functions and to catch up with people,” he said.
“Christmas is coming up, and I will be making applications. I will have less hesitancy to do so. [The victims] will be getting hassled about me wanting to go down there.”
To that, More said: “Be careful, Mr Dallison … It sounds like you’re threatening the victims with consequences if this application isn’t granted, that they will be hassled by the Victim Notification Register?”
Dallison clarified his position.
“I did not mean that as a threat … it will purely be a coincidence of where we’re at,” he said.
More asked Dallison to “put yourself in the victim’s shoes” and consider how they would feel if they saw him in Canterbury.
“If I saw them, I would be turning in the opposite direction and hightailing it out of there,” he said.
“Naturally, they’d feel anxious, they’d feel frightened … they’d probably be on the spot and remain frozen, thinking ‘oh hell what’s going to happen next’.
“Hopefully they’d be reassured by my disappearing off the scene.”
Anna Leask is a senior journalist who covers national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 20 years with a particular focus on family and gender-based violence, child abuse, sexual violence, homicides, mental health and youth crime. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on nzherald.co.nz.