A machete-wielding man who almost severed his victim's hand claims he did not mean to hurt anybody.
The Parole Board, which saw 35-year-old Shaan Roker at Otago Corrections Facility last month, said that was an assertion it ''struggled to accept''.
Roker was jailed for six and a-half years before the High Court at Dunedin in July 2017, after pleading guilty to wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm and assaulting a female.
The Australian citizen - a father of two - had been back in New Zealand only a week and was temporarily living with his ex-partner at Taieri Mouth on the morning of February 21, 2017.
After the pair argued, Roker elbowed his former partner in the head and then hit her with an open hand.
The victim of Shaan Roker's machete attack in Taieri Mouth is carried to an ambulance.
Parole Board convener Judge Geoffrey Ellis noted Roker had no history of violence in New Zealand or Australia.
''The reports before us identify substance abuse, relationship difficulties, propensity to use violence and unhelpful lifestyle balance as underlying risk factors,'' he said.
However, it was unclear whether Roker agreed with that assessment.
The prisoner had completed the Drug Treatment Programme while behind bars and claimed he wanted to also do the Short Rehabilitation Programme.
But when Corrections offered to transfer him to Invercargill Prison to do so, he chose not to make the move.
''We were, frankly, left in doubt as to his motivation and commitment towards that rehabilitative programme,'' Judge Ellis said.
Roker had stable accommodation lined up for his return to Australia but there were major worries for the board.
''What was of concern, after our interaction with Mr Roker, is that we found ourselves in difficulty making any realistic assessment of the level of his risk,'' Judge Ellis said.
