Media statement
For immediate release

Monday, 13 September 2004

Alexander outraged at killer driver’s sentence

United Future law and order spokesman Marc Alexander is appalled at the ‘extremely light’ prison term of three and a half years prison that’s been handed down to a hit and run driver who has racked up more than 75 convictions for dangerous driving.

Newspaper reports say Zane Richard Semple, a 32 year old unlicensed driver, drove head-on into another car while doing 120 kph in a 50 kph zone in Auckland last May.

The driver of the other car was killed. Semple ran from the scene, leaving his own passenger injured and evaded the police for 12 days.

Mr Alexander said Semple had been deported from Australia four years ago after clocking up 72 driving convictions, and 6 further convictions in New Zealand should have been enough to confiscate his car and send him off to jail.

“We need an agreement with Australia so there will be trans-Tasman reciprocity of consequence on common criminal charges.

“Giving this man a jail term of just 3 ½ years for killing another driver is pathetic. Why should he get a discount just because he chose to kill with a car and not a shotgun?” asked Mr Alexander.

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