Jeremy Hamish Kerr in court during his sentencing for blackmail charges. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Jeremy Hamish Kerr in court during his sentencing for blackmail charges. Photo / Jason Oxenham
The man who was jailed for threatening to spike infant formula in blackmail letters to Fonterra and Federated Farmers has been denied parole.
The Parole Board has decided Jeremy Hamish Kerr "remains an undue risk to the community".
Kerr's blackmail was estimated to have cost the nation $37 million andit put at risk our biggest export market.
"News of Mr Kerr's activities had far-reaching effects not only for Fonterra but for New Zealand as a whole," Parole Board panel convenor Judge C Blackie said.
In November 2014, Kerr mixed highly concentrated amounts of the poison with baby milk formula and posted them to the dairy co-op and to Federated Farmers, with a letter demanding the country stop using 1080 or he would release poisoned infant milk powder into the Chinese market and one unspecified market.
In his parole report released today, Judge Blackie said Kerr's plan did not adequately deal with potential financial pressures, which appeared to have some significant bearing on his original offending – for the blackmail.
"Of concern to the board today is the fact that Mr Kerr's supplementary offending relating to the position of drugs does not feature to any significant degree in his safety plan.
"When looked at as a standalone offending the sentencing ludge considered that it would have justified a starting point as far as a sentence of imprisonment was concerned of up to three years and three months.
"Mr Kerr was found to be in possession of 32,000 pills with a street value of some $64,000.
"His offending was therefore not insignificant and had he been dealt with solely for drug offending no doubt his safety plan would have been much more focused in that regard."
Judge Blackie said issues relating to the drug offending had not been fully resolved.
The board was of the view that Kerr remained an undue risk to the community and parole was therefore declined.
"Also of concern to the board is the fact that his ultimate release may not go unnoticed by the media," Judge Blackie said.
"Mr Kerr should also include in his safety plan the strategies that he intends to adopt if approached by the media post-release and also the knowledge within the community of his release, particularly those who may have had some association with his drug-related offending."
Kerr will be seen again by the end of February 2020.
