Two Christchurch men who lured a 14-year-old girl into hard drugs and prostitution and were today sentenced to eight years in prison must serve their time according to ACT Leader Hon Richard Prebble.

"This was a most heinous and sickening crime. Motivated by greed these two men turned this young girl into a drug addict and then forced her to work as a prostitute while they lived off her earnings.

"Because of our current law, these two men could be back on the streets in five years time. They may be let out after serving just three years.

"That is totally unacceptable to New Zealanders. These two must serve their time. Under ACT's Truth In Sentencing policy, these men would not even be considered for parole until they had served at least 80% of their court imposed sentences.

"ACT says if you do the crime, you must do the time. Figures out today from the Corrections Department showing that 80% of offenders are reconvicted within two years of being released from prison shows just how poorly our justice system is serving the community.

"Any parent would be horrified to think that two criminals who have shown such callous and sickening contempt for human life will almost certainly be free to commit a similar crime or worse in the next five years, let alone at all.

"We should not forget that it was National and Labour MPs who passed the law that will free these criminals early. ACT is the only Party that is saying we must have Truth in Sentencing," said Hon Richard Prebble.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>