Court action highlights system’s weakness

Wednesday, 1 December 2004, 1:00 pm
Press Release: United Future NZ Party

Alexander: Court action highlights system’s weakness

Serial paedophile Lloyd McIntosh’s legal challenge to the Corrections Department putting him under a 10-year supervision order simply highlights the inadequate way society deals with sexual predators “whose insatiable appetites will not be curbed”, United Future’s Marc Alexander said today.

McIntosh is challenging the provisions of the Extended Supervision Act passed earlier this year, which allows for up to a 10-year supervision period.

“Offenders like McIntosh, who among other crimes raped a 23-month-old toddler, should actually have had to face preventive detention retrospectively, not just 10 years supervision.”

He said that the 10-year option in the Act had to be supported earlier this year as the toughest available measure at the time, but it was clear that long term, that was not going to be enough.

“And that is shown up precisely by offenders such as McIntosh. This man has proven time and again to be a massive danger to society. Ten years of supervision is really only a half measure,” Mr Alexander said.

“When we look at human rights issues surrounding crime, let’s first acknowledge that we don’t have to put new victims at risk - the human rights of the law-abiding come first.”

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