Parliamentary protester Allan Chapman praised by judge for turning his life around

Allan Chapman outside the Wellington District Court on Wednesday. He is a former protester who has changed for the better, the judge said. Photo / Catherine Hutton

A man whose childhood in foster care led to a deep-seated distrust of government agencies has escaped a detention sentence for his actions at the parliamentary protests, with the judge describing his change in attitude as “extraordinary”.

In March 2022, Allan Chapman was caught on camera hurling items, including a table, metal pole and concrete pavers, as police were attempting to clear Parliament grounds and the surrounding streets of protesters. The 53-year-old described the protests as a place where he belonged and felt it was something he could be part of.

The Wellington District Court heard it was Chapman’s difficult background including placements in some 20 different foster homes that led to a deep-seated distrust of government agencies which contributed to him attending the protests.

It was that background that prompted Judge John Walker to split Chapman’s charges in March, sentencing him to 18 months’ intensive supervision on a charge of rioting.

“I put the matter off with a view to finding an alternative to prison like home detention or community detention because against your background returning to prison was something I was anxious to avoid having read about your life.”

This week Chapman returned to court for sentencing on a charge of aggravated assault, potentially facing a charge of six months’ home detention.

But glowing reports from his probation officer prompted Judge Walker to describe Chapman’s response to the intensive supervision as “extraordinary”.

His probation officer noted a marked improvement in Chapman’s presentation, mood and attitude since he had been given the opportunity to care for his son, who now stays with him weekly. This had also been noted by agencies like Oranga Tamariki who he was working with to ensure he was a good father to his son, including helping him to find temporary accommodation.

Not wanting to interfere with the father-son relationship prompted Judge Walker to impose a sentence of community work, rather than electronically monitored bail.

“You’ve been entrusted with that and I’m not going to get in the way. If I was to do that your distrust of government, courts and agencies would simply be in your mind and you would feel aggravated, which would be going right back to where we started,” Judge Walker said.

On the charge of aggravated assault, Chapman was sentenced to 300 hours’ community work.

Catherine Hutton is an Open Justice reporter, based in Wellington. She has worked as a journalist for 20 years, including at the Waikato Times and RNZ. Most recently she was working as a media adviser at the Ministry of Justice.