Simon Power MP
National Party Justice & Corrections Spokesman

26 April 2007

Labour learns nothing from Burton disaster

The Labour Government seems to have learnt nothing from the Graeme Burton parole disaster, says National's Justice & Corrections spokesman, Simon Power.

"The Government continues to drag its feet over calls to overhaul the parole system when it is clearly failing to deliver the safe streets that the public expects."

Mr Power is commenting on the case of Hiro Joe, who:

* Was freed on parole after more than two years of a six-year sentence for raping a 15-year-old girl.

* Kidnapped an acquaintance while on parole, and was recalled to prison, charged with kidnap, dangerous driving and driving under the influence.

* Was granted bail, despite police opposition, but failed to appear in court, and led police on a month-long hunt.

"Labour should have learnt lessons from the Burton disaster by now.

"In the first place, I don't believe anyone would expect that a man who is convicted of raping a 15-year-old would serve a little more than two years before being let loose.

"But then psychologists who examined him reportedly considered him a 'high risk of violent offending and a medium-high risk of sexual offending'.

"With reports like that he clearly should never have been let out early, and his subsequent offending merely backs that up."

ENDS

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