Why not preventive detention

The Herald reports:

An Eastern Bay of Plenty self-styled Mongrel Mob president who terrorised and intimidated a woman over 16 years has been jailed for 18-and-a-half years.

Justice Sarah Katz stepped back from the preventive detention sentence the Crown requested in the High Court at Rotorua today but stipulated Hoani Chase, 54, of Te Teko, must serve half his sentence before being eligible to be assessed for parole.

After a judge-alone trial in October, Justice Katz found Chase guilty of 28 violence and sexual abuse charges including rape.

Other charges were withdrawn during the trial and Chase admitted possessing explosives and receiving.

At sentencing, Justice Katz described Chase’s conduct as a desperate 16-year campaign of terror and intimidation.

She outlined how Chase had, during that time, duct-taped the woman to a chair for three days and repeatedly raped her, as well as how he’d again raped her within days of giving birth to twins by caesarean section.

She was so badly injured she had to be readmitted to hospital.

On another occasion, he had roped her to the back of his car, dragging her down the road.

Justice Katz recounted how at times he knocked the victim unconscious, kicking her with steel capped boots.

So why not preventive detention? Surely 16 years of offending should qualify. 18 and a half years is not a light sentence but the poor victim will have to start worrying in nine years time that he may get parole.