29 September 2016

Family Group Welcomes Appeal of Weak Filipo Sentence

Family First NZ is welcoming the Solicitor-General’s direction to the police to file an application for leave to appeal the weak and dangerous sentence handed to rugby player Losi Filipo.

“The judge has given precedence to the rights of the offender and his future, while ignoring the rights of the victims to see justice and for the community to be protected. Not only should the sentence be reviewed, but also the flawed reasoning adopted by the judge,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.

“This offender-friendly sentence sent a dangerous message that we don’t value the protection of victims and the safety of the public in a case that involved significant violence towards both males and females.”

“The Discharge without Conviction communicated that punishments and consequences will be determined by who you are rather than what you did,” says Mr McCoskrie.

“As a community, we are trying to say that violence is completely unacceptable – yet the sentences given by the courts are completely undermining that message.”

“This is not about revenge as some will suggest. This is about an appropriate sentence which reflects the gravity of the crime, protects the public in the long-term, and communicates the revulsion that the public rightly has against these sorts of mindless acts – irrespective of who commits them.”
ENDS

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