Parkinson was sentenced in July to two years and two months in prison for wounding with intent to injure and intentional damage, but appealed that sentence to the High Court.
High Court Justice David Boldt has now turned down his appeal, saying in his written judgment that Parkinson’s prison sentence could have been longer.
The charges arose from two connected incidents on the evening of September 21, 2023.
Justice David Boldt turned down Stephen Parkinson's appeal against his prison sentence. Photo / George Heard
Just after 7pm, Parkinson turned up at a property in Gisborne and used the tomahawk to smash up a Hyundai Sonata parked at the roadside.
When he saw the owner looking at him through a window, he yelled “F*** you”, got back into his car and left.
The damage to the vehicle, including a smashed windscreen, broken side windows and a large hole in the roof, was irreparable. It has since been scrapped.
A short time after smashing up the car, Parkinson returned with about five associates.
The car owner’s son had just arrived and was standing outside the house.
Parkinson got out of his vehicle and approached the man, holding the tomahawk in his right hand.
With full force, he struck his victim with the tomahawk, connecting with his left arm.
Victim chased by gang members
As the victim ran away he was chased by the gang members, who then got back into their vehicles and drove off.
The victim suffered a compound fracture of his upper left arm. He needed surgery to remove bone fragments from his elbow.
When police later caught up with Parkinson, he claimed the man he injured had been “stalking” Parkinson’s ex-partner.
Parkinson was initially charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, but did not plead guilty until the charge was downgraded to the less serious one of wounding with intent to injure, 10 days before a scheduled trial.
Parkinson has nearly 40 previous convictions, including one of injuring with intent to injure, for which he was jailed for two years and two months in 2011. That offence also involved a weapon.
Since 2017, he has been convicted of wilful damage, possession of a knife and a family violence assault, receiving non-custodial sentences.
Propensity for violence identified
A probation officer’s pre-sentence report identified a propensity for violence. He has been a Mob member for 14 years and has no intention of leaving the gang.
Parkinson appealed his latest jail term on the grounds the judge did not give him enough credit for his guilty plea or for expressing remorse.
He had expressed this in a letter written to the victim and his family, saying he hoped they could be friends in future.
However, Justice Boldt said Parkinson maintained his not-guilty stance until a plea agreement was reached after he had been on bail for seven months, and the letter had been written shortly before the sentencing.
“Mr Parkinson could have written to the victim much earlier if the only dispute between the Crown and him was whether the charge had been pitched at the right level.
“It is also fair to note that much of the regret Mr Parkinson expressed to the writer of the pre-sentence report arose from the effect the offending had had on his own position. He displayed limited insight into its seriousness.”
Justice Boldt dismissed the appeal.
“Given the seriousness of the offending and the numerous aggravating features, the final sentence could easily have been higher,” he said.
Ric Stevens spent many years working for the former New Zealand Press Association news agency, including as a political reporter at Parliament, before holding senior positions at various daily newspapers. He joined NZME’s Open Justice team in 2022 and is based in Hawke’s Bay. His writing in the crime and justice sphere is informed by four years of front-line experience as a probation officer.
