18th November 2007

Justice System A Sham Says Watchdog

The Sensible Sentencing Trust says New Zealand’s Justice System is a sad, sick joke and at best can only be described as a one-sided legal process, loaded towards criminals.

Spokesman, Garth McVicar issued an open challenge to the Minister of Justice, the legal profession and legislators to tell the New Zealand public the Justice System was anything but a sham.

“We have a very lop-sided criminal centred, offender friendly legal process that is making an absolute mockery of the term Justice,” McVicar said.

McVicar’s angry comments come after he was finally able to speak out about the details of the shocking events surrounding the killings of Natasha Haden and Aaliyah Morrisey.

The Michael Curran case featured tonight in a Sunday T V one documentary.

It has now been revealed convicted double killer Michael Curran was on Bail awaiting trial for the killing of Natasha Hayden when he violently assaulted baby Aaliyah Morrisey, who died from the horrific injuries Curran inflicted on her.

McVicar supported both the Brown and Morrisey families, as they went through a torturous two year waiting process, unable to expose what they knew due to Court suppression orders.

“The only thing that kept everybody sane through all this was the fact that one day the truth would one day come out.

The Sensible Sentencing Trust wants accountability saying the Government was failing in its duty to protect the public and was passing legislation that was further exposing innocent lives to the wanton actions of violent offenders.

McVicar said Bail was being used as a tool by the Government to unload the prison population and innocent people were dying as a result.

“Money hungry defence lawyers are aggravating the situation by milking lax Bail laws, Curran’s lawyer knew his previous violent history, and it wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that Curran was a threat to all around him.”

“Curran may have struck the blows that killed Aaliyah, but the responsibility for this tragedy must be shared by the Government, Justice Officials and the legal profession equally.”

ENDS

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