Jailed schoolteacher Damian Young set for release after Parole Board hearing

What happened

Damian Young, 59, will be released on November 2 following a Parole Board hearing on Friday. Young was imprisoned for two years and seven months in June 2024 after being convicted of six indecent assault charges involving three students at two Christchurch schools. He assaulted the girls under the pretext of showing films and dimming classroom lights. Young maintains his innocence and appealed his convictions in 2025, claiming the trial judge failed to maintain neutrality, but the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal. At the parole hearing, Young told the board he would abide by release conditions and focus on rebuilding family relationships, taking up landscaping work, and possibly studying psychology through distance learning. A Corrections officer described him as a model prisoner. A family member told the board the family accepted his conviction and would monitor his compliance with release conditions and the Child Sex Offender Register.

Key facts

• Released November 2, 2026, after serving two years and seven months
• Convicted of six indecent assault charges involving three students
• Worked at two Christchurch schools during offending
• 59 years old
• Court of Appeal dismissed appeal in 2025

What happens next

Young is scheduled for release on November 2.

Primary source: Parole Board hearing decision, 16 October 2026

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