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Sensible Update September 2014
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Hi all and welcome to the latest SST update
We have all been super busy helping families navigate the justice system so I’m sorry for not sending you an update sooner!
We have seen Court of Appeal hearings for Hayden Miles’ family as well as Phil Nesbits. We’ve been in trials and parole hearings weekly and of course continue to assist families such as the Prasad’s, Gotingco’s and Dudley’s – our love and well wishes go out to all who we support on a daily basis.
I also wanted to send a special mention to all of the homicide victims who will meet later this week at the Annual Red Raincoat Trust conference. Such a special time for you to reunite (with some meeting for the first time). Each year I am overwhelmed with feelings of sorrow that you are part of this exclusive club but also very humbled and honoured to meet with you and share your journeys. http://www.rrt.org.nz/
Finally a HUGE thank you to our unpaid volunteers who are working throughout the country helping the public navigate the justice system – Leigh, Jayne, Ron
THANK YOU!
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Know Your Facts
SST would like to inform everyone of the tool on http://www.protectthatchildproject.co.nz/ to see what Policies, Laws and Bills the current Political Parties are for or against. Please note this is for information purposes. We want to provide our members with all the information to make educated decisions when voting.
We have researched the way all Political Parties have voted on Law and Order issues during the last two terms of Government - you can see a very helpful summary here:
http://www.protectthatchildproject.co.nz/historical-voting-table/
We have also just had confirmation from both the Labour and Maori Parties that they will repeal Three Strikes should they govern our country. Clearly SST see a HUGE issue with this given that Three Strikes is proven to keep recidivist violent offenders off our streets.
GET OUT THERE AND VOTE - HAVE YOUR SAY ITS YOUR DEMOCRATIC RIGHT
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Social media is the best way to keep up-to-date and informed on what is happening behind the scenes at SST. It’s also a great way to voice your thoughts on events occurring around the country. www.facebook.com/sensiblesentencingtrust don’t forget to LIKE our page.
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Sign and Share
Name suppression needs to stop, please sign the petition and share the cause.
Cases within the media show how unjust the laws around name suppression really are.
Increasingly we are seeing many historical cases of sexual abuse coming forward both here and internationally. It is no surprise to us that many of these cases are historical given the trauma the survivors face before they often have the strength to speak up and face the justice system.
You will all be aware of the high profile case from Christchurch where SST was being taken to court by the Director of Human Rights Proceedings for breaching the rights of a 5 time convicted child sex offender. The coverage of the story so far is included in this media article for you so simply click on the link below to learn more:
http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/name-suppression-lifted-for-victims-not-offender-2014081418
Our love and support is constantly with Karen and Anne-Marie as they continue to fight for justice to get this predators name unsuppressed as it should be!
Another example of this suppression nonsense is the prominent Queenstown 'man' who is now fighting for his victim's name to stay suppressed - despite her wish to share her own name with the public. The convicted sex offender should have no say on the victims actions, this is a mere case of re-victimising and shows the lack of consideration for the survivors within the current law.
SST remains of the strong view that name suppression enables sex offenders. Especially in the case of child sex offenders - it allows for them to groom unsuspecting parents, employers and children giving them the ability to prey on unsuspecting victims because no one knows who they are.
The public deserve and need to know who these people are so they can take their own precautions. Name suppression is designed to protect the innocent, so why is it still being used to protect the guilty? Any sex offender register introduced in NZ should be OPEN TO THE PUBLIC not just for the use of the Police and certain Government agencies.
For more information regarding our Stop the Suppression campaign, please see links below and please sign and share the petition to help change the name suppression laws.
Petition:
http://www.protectthatchildproject.co.nz/stop-the-suppression-petition/
Press Release:
http://www.sst.org.nz/proposed-child-sex-offender-register-wont-change-anything/
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Just A Reminder...
If you are outraged by a Judges decision in court, the law allows 20 working days to appeal the decision, so as a member of the public you can help influence the Crown's decision to do so.
We have been overwhelmed recently by members of the public wanting us to apply pressure to appeal decisions - YOU CAN HELP TOO. The more the merrier as we are all volunteers and the power remains in numbers so please show your support to the cause, and write an email or letter yourselves to help add public pressure which can only aid in justice being served.
Please see the following link for information about how to lodge a complaint. FAQ number 7 from our website provides sample letters for you to use as inspiration for your own letters.
http://www.sst.org.nz/faq/
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Your financial support and membership will help both the SST and SSGT continue to advocate and support victims of violent and/or sexual crime and homicide in NZ. Sensible Sentencing encompasses two very distinct trusts and purposes. To find out more please visit:
www.sst.org.nz/get-involved/support-us.
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