No parole for woman who dumped corpse of friend in Dunedin

The family of Aleisha Dawson's victim were "very forgiving", the Parole Board heard. Photo / ODT

A woman who dumped her friend's dead body beside a back road north of Dunedin will remain behind bars.

Aleisha Cherie Dawson, 32, is serving a prison sentence of two years and three months, which was imposed by Justice Gerald Nation in the High Court at Dunedin a year ago, after she admitted being an accessory in the killing of Brent Andrew Bacon.

The woman appeared before the Parole Board this month for the second time but accepted from the outset that she was not ready for release.

She was undertaking a rehabilitation programme which ended in December, panel convener Mary More noted, and was scheduled to begin alcohol and drug treatment in February or March next year.

It is alleged Bacon was killed on the evening of February 4 last year.

While Dawson was not responsible for his death, she admitted putting the victim's body in a sleeping bag and bundling him into the back of his own Toyota.

She travelled from St Clair to an isolated area 30km north of Dunedin, where she dumped the corpse under a tree.

Dawson continued to Ashburton, where she twice tried to use the victim's eftpos card early on February 5. Both transactions were rejected because of an incorrect PIN.

When she reached Picton, there was another failed attempt to withdraw cash, the court heard, and the vehicle was then sold to the owner of a backpackers for $250.

Dawson caught a ferry to the North Island and drove onto Rotorua, where she was arrested nearly two weeks later.

Court documents revealed the woman sent messages to Bacon's phone to make it seem to police she was unaware of his death.

Nearly two weeks later, the body was found by a member of the public, in an advanced state of decomposition.

Dawson's criminal history included driving charges, cannabis offending, non-compliance with court orders and three convictions for document fraud, the Parole Board heard.

This was her first term of imprisonment and she was a minimum-security inmate.

More said Bacon's family were "very forgiving" of Dawson.

She will appear again before the board in April.

Her sentence expires in August 2021.