Parole denied for Milton man who raped woman in public toilet

Milton rapist Daniel Moore will remain behind bars until at least October.

A Milton man who followed a woman into a public toilet and subjected her to a half-hour sex attack has been declined parole.

Daniel Peter Moore, 35, was jailed for six-and-a-half years for the rape and appeared before the Parole Board last month, where he made his case for early release.

The prisoner argued he could continue his rehabilitation on the outside but panel convener Martha Coleman said it would be better for treatment to occur behind bars.

On April 20, 2018, Moore had parked beside the Waihola Domain.

He claimed to have been going through marital problems at the time and would sit there smoking, drinking RTDs and playing on his phone.

When a woman, who was driving from Queenstown to Dunedin, stopped to use the toilets, the man bundled her inside.

Moore grabbed her around the throat to stifle her screams until the victim stopped resisting.

In a statement, she said she began speaking to Moore "in an effort to humanise herself", because she expected to be murdered.

He told her it was the first time he had ever raped someone.

"It involved a variety of violent sexual acts [and] it extended over a considerable period of time," Judge Michael Crosbie said.

The effects on her were as profound as he had ever read, he said.

Because the victim's mother was unwell at the time, the court heard, she did not tell her about the ordeal.

She eventually died never knowing her daughter's torment.

After Moore had finished with the woman in the toilets, he told her to wait until he had driven off before leaving.

She complied but police found the man after trawling through CCTV footage from close to the scene.

The Parole Board heard Moore had completed the drug treatment programme while in prison.

"He says he now understands why he used drugs and alcohol, which was to manage issues such as anxiety, low self-worth, low mood and other feelings and emotions, all of which he considers contributed to the background context in which this offending took place," Coleman said.

Moore had been assessed by a psychologist and treatment options were being assessed.

Coleman noted he was assessed as presenting a below-average risk of reoffending but the psychologist added: "If he should reoffend in the future it would most likely occur in circumstances where he experiences sexual arousal towards his victim, chooses not to manage emotional distress, experiences hostile attitudes to women and is abusing substances."

Moore will appear again before the board in October.

A whānau hui will occur before then to refine his safety plan.