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Police must appeal against outrageous ‘P’ sentence
John Carter
National Party MP, Northland
10 April 2006
Police must appeal against outrageous ‘P’ sentence
National Party MP John Carter is urging the Police to appeal against a sentence handed down to a Kaitaia man for dealing in methamphetamine.
“I am absolutely outraged by this sentence.
“Aaron Kuvarji was found guilty on charges that carry a maximum prison sentence of seven life terms plus 14 years but all he got was two years. Not only that, but because he had been in custody since November and if he gets time off for good behaviour, he could by out by July.
“That is an insult to the judicial system and to the community.
“I seriously wonder what planet this judge is on. He seems to have no appreciation of what methampetamine is doing to Northland or other communities. This is the biggest social scourge our community is facing – or has ever faced.
“It has the potential to damage society to the stage where it will cease to function as we know it, and if all this judge can do in response is set a two-year precedent for dealing on a major scale then he is totally out of touch.
“Kuvarji should have been locked away for the rest of his time. I don’t care what his history is. Anyone who deals in this terrible drug deserves to be put away, and kept away.
“I’m absolutely furious that after all the trouble so many people in the community – police, health people, people like me – have gone to to fight this dreadful drug, we have been so badly let down.
“When Parliament reclassified P as a class A drug, and introduced tougher penalities like life sentences, we expected the judiciary to use these weapons.
“I urge the Police to appeal, and I hope that whoever considers that appeal will understand exactly what the hell it is we’re trying to protect our community from.”
Mr Carter says he is making the fight against ‘P’ a personal mission.
“And I invite the judiciary and any MPs who are under any illusion as to the effect of ‘P’ on communities to come with me on a fact-finding mission. We must defeat this drug.”
Ends
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