MEDIA RELEASE
8 November 2012
Abusive Father’s Increased Sentence Welcomed
Family First NZ is welcoming the increased sentence for the father convicted of repeated assaults on his infant daughter that resulted in her legs being broken in five places. Family First had written to the Solicitor-General regarding James Hall and asked for them to appeal the original sentence of home detention.

“It was a pathetic sentence that sent a dangerous message that we don’t value the life and protection of our vulnerable young children,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ. “This was a cold, calculated and grotesque abuse of a four month old. To put a value on that as a ‘homestay’ for 12 months was insulting and pathetic.”

“As a community, we are trying to say that the abuse of our young and most vulnerable is completely unacceptable and that our responsibility as adults is even greater around these young children – yet the consequences given out by the courts can completely undermine that message.”

“It is significant that the consequences for attacking a police officer or prison guard are being increased. It is time that children were guaranteed the same increased level of protection,” says Mr McCoskrie.

“People who murder and maim our children need to know that children will be afforded greater protection by the judiciary.”
ENDS

© Scoop Media

Public Address Link:
A (Sweary) Analysis Of Urgency Abuse And
The Consititution

Keith Ng: You’re looking at the Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) for the Public Health and Disability Amendment Bill. Basically, the courts said that the Government had to pay family members who looked after people with disabilities (because not doing so was discriminatory), so the Government passed this law to say: “Yeah nah.”

The RIS isn’t just redacted for the public – it was redacted for MPs. *Parliament* voted on this, with all the relevant facts blacked out.

Sure, it’s understandable, right? If you’re passing a law that’s really dodgy, you don’t want advice from civil servants saying “uh, this is pretty illegal” to be public. But actually, that’s not really a problem here, because in the same piece of legislation, THEY SAID THEY CAN’T BE TAKEN TO COURT. More>>