Sex offender refusing to undertake treatment

By the Editorial Team · Thursday, July 2, 2026

National snooker champion Shannon Russell Swain, convicted of sexually abusing a young girl over five years, has refused to participate in a mandated rehabilitation program while nearing the end of his prison sentence. This refusal raises concerns about his readiness for release, as the Parole Board plans to restrict his movements regionally and postpone treatment until after his release.

A national snooker champion convicted of repeatedly molesting a young girl over a five-year period has refused to participate in a specialist treatment program for sex offenders, a Parole Board hearing has revealed.

Shannon Russell Swain, 36, is nearing the end of a 25-month prison sentence but has declined to transfer to another facility to undertake a child sex offender rehabilitation program. At a hearing last month, the panel convener, Carolina Tiumalu, noted that Swain appeared primarily concerned with his own comfort and showed little acknowledgment of the harm caused to his victim.

Swain, who won the New Zealand Billiards and Snooker Association national snooker championships in 2022, has proposed being released to an address in Tapanui, despite objections from the victim that he remain outside the southern region. At his sentencing in the Invercargill District Court, it was established that Swain abused the girl on at least six occasions between 2013 and 2018, including an incident where he groped her in a vehicle with others present. He pleaded guilty to a representative charge of performing an indecent act.

Currently held in the minimum-security unit at Invercargill Prison, Swain has been assessed as an average to below average risk of reoffending sexually. However, he refused to move to another prison to access rehabilitation programs, citing the need to remain close to his support network. According to Tiumalu, Swain has not been able to articulate why he committed the offenses but acknowledges that they were wrong.

Initially, Swain was expected to receive individual psychological treatment while incarcerated, but that option is no longer available. The Parole Board heard this treatment will now need to occur post-release. Tiumalu noted that Swain has not begun any rehabilitative work nor developed a comprehensive release plan.

The board indicated that it is likely Swain will be prohibited from entering the Otago and Southland regions upon release and advised him to plan accordingly. Swain is scheduled to appear before the Parole Board again in October, one month prior to the completion of his sentence.

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