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"There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come"
- Victor Hugo
Help us launch "Christie’s Law"
Christie Marceau was murdered on 7th November 2011
The accused had earlier kidnapped and assaulted Christie. Despite strong police and family opposition, the Judge granted the accused bail to live within close proximity to Christies home. Four weeks later the accused entered Christie’s home and stabbed her, Christie died in her Mother’s arms.
Many murders have been committed by offenders on Bail, and we are now demanding action;
• Changes to the Bail Act to prevent similar tragedies.
• To send a very clear message to Judges.
Please download and sign the Petition Form here and get others to do so.
A Ten Signature Petition Form is also available
The protest outside the Auckland High Court on the 27th was attended by several hundred people, thank you to all those who did so;
Facebook event here
Sensible Stuff!
A range of merchandise is now available, including shirts, jackets, mugs, caps and bags at this site;
www.sensiblestuff.co.nz/
Ron and Faye Bishop, parents of murder victim Dean Brown have launched this initiative in order to fundraise for us, see Herald story
Latest Press Releases
Christie’s Law
(18th May 2012)
In October last year the Sensible Sentencing Trust congratulated then Justice Minister Simon Power and the National led government for their proposed tightening of access to bail in The Bail Amendment Bill. The Bill was put forward to see restrictions placed on access to bail for those charged with serious crimes such as murder and the onus placed on the arrested suspect to prove they are not a risk to the community before being granted bail.
Tragically, within weeks, 18 year old Christie Marceau was killed. Her alleged murderer, 18 year old Akshay Anand Chand had been released on bail to his mother’s address - within 1km of Christie’s family home. This was despite strenuous police opposition to bail and that fact that he had previously been charged with kidnapping Christie earlier in the year.
When announcing the changes Simon Power stated that "These changes will improve public confidence in the bail system and ensure that bail will be harder to get in marginal cases where the court would previously have had no choice but to release a defendant on bail." Sadly, the proposed changes did not come soon enough and Christie became yet another innocent murder victim. At the same time the lives of those close to Christie were irreparably damaged. If ever we needed a reminder that these changes are of paramount importance it has been the tragic murder of Christie Marceau.
The first draft of the new bail laws is now going before Parliament. While the Sensible Sentencing Trust acknowledge that it is a step in the right direction, sadly, it does not go far enough to protecting law-abiding citizens and in its present form would be unlikely to prevent another case like Christie’s.
To highlight the need for stronger changes in this area of the law, and to show your support for this cause, please come along to Parliament grounds at 1pm on Tuesday 29th May. Come and support the Marceau family, hear their story, and send a strong message to our law-makers that we need urgent, positive change in this area of our law. Please do not be apathetic and think that you can’t make a difference – believe me, you can. In the words of Dr. Jim Boren “Public apathy is more powerful than public opinion. There's more of it.”
Remember: every crime committed whilst a suspect is released on bail is one too many, and preventable. Bail needs to be regarded as a privilege, not a right. Come along on Tuesday to show that you support this view as well.
New Zealand once was, and can be again, one of the safest countries in the world if we have the will and determination to stand up against crime and refuse to accept it as a part of our lives. We all have a right to be safe within our own homes, streets, and communities in a New Zealand safe from crime. The Sensible Sentencing Trust will continue to fight for that right and advocate for a tough stance to be taken against those who live their lives on the wrong side of the law.
Murray Tennent-Brown
Communications / Media Advisor
Sensible Sentencing Trust Wellington Region
email wellington@sst.org.nz
Ph: 021 654073
Permanent Link
Justice: Speaking Up for Crime's Silent Victims
Justice is the story of how an ordinary cocky from Hawke's Bay became a spokesman for the victims of violent crime. Garth McVicar, a mild-mannered man, just couldn't sit back and watch the injustice. A father of four daughters and a grandfather, he was raised by decent, hard-working parents, who instilled in him "that you should leave the land better than you found it".
Sit with Garth as he reflects on 10 years of the Sensible Sentencing Trust, where it has come from, where it is going and what it has acheived. Hear from some of the victims the SST has helped. Whether you personally agree or disagree with Garth's message, no-one can deny that New Zealand has become a violent society - enough so that this unassuming man from Hawke's Bay stood up and said 'enough is enough'. In taking that step, Garth has become one of the most recognised men in the country as an advocate for the victims and families of violent crime.
But Justice is not just Garth McVicar's story. Although we read how he got involved (not, as many people seem to think, in response to something he saw on TV) and why he continues to work with such energy, commitment and assiduity. Justice also outlines the history of the SST and contemplates its future. It looks at the impact the SST has had on the New Zealand political landscape and asks; Has it made any difference? Has it done what it set out to do?
We all need to read this book - this is a story for us all - any one of us could be caught up in a nightmare like this at any time.
This Penguin book is available at Wheelers, Fishpond, and Paper Plus amongst others
A downloadable version of our DVD "New Zealand – A land fit for Criminals – why?" is available
for broadband DSL/cable users here (42 Mb, 320 kb/sec) , and
for dialup users here (6 Mb, 48 kb/sec)
These are in wmv format, playable in most media players
The essay "My Truth - The Mallet of Judgement" by Kristine Johnston may now be found here along with a number of other articles from Trust members and staff on our new Contributors Page
The Sensible Sentencing Trust was formed in March 2001 by a small group of motivated people with a passion and a vision to help create a patriotic, crime free New Zealand through the promotion of personal responsibility and a better deal for Victims of crime.
Our focus on the sentencing issue at this stage has been a deliberate part of our strategy. By highlighting the ridiculous sentences given to repeat offenders we felt most New Zealanders would identify and understand our message as we raised public awareness and encouraged community ownership.
We realise that harsher penalties alone are not the complete answer, but we believe that sensible sentences must be the first part of the package; we are now expanding our focus into other areas contributing to violent crime. Educating the public is seen as a key factor in achieving our ultimate goal of reducing crime.
The Trust encourages our members to become pro-active ambassadors by educating their respective communities as to the horrific consequences and ongoing effects of violent crime, for those directly involved and the wider community.
Public awareness has been achieved by holding public meetings around the country, and representatives of the organisation have spoken to hundreds of community groups.
Sensible Sentencing Trust is now a nationwide organisation with a head office in Napier and co-ordinators in many regions. Everyone who works for the Trust does so on a voluntary basis; financial support comes from membership donations, community groups and individual contributions.
The Sensible Sentencing Trust is strictly a non-political organisation; with IRD approved donee and charitable trust status.
The Trust is absolutely committed to reducing violent crime through community awareness, education and research.
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Because of the huge volume of emails Garth receives, a reply may not always be possible;
please direct emails to others listed on this page if your issue is covered by their area of interest.
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National Spokesman and Trustee :
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Garth McVicar
P.O. Box 701
Napier 4140
027 2487919
email garth@sst.org.nz
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National Secretary and Trustee :
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Wendy Pedler
P.O. Box 701
Napier 4140
(06) 8355521 SST Office
(06) 8355520 SST fax
021 2494333
email wendy@sst.org.nz
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Lawyer : Keith Jeffries
Wellington
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Accountants : Gardner Reaney Ltd
Chartered Accountants
P O Box 192
Napier 4140
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Trust Auditor : Gardner Knobloch Ltd
Chartered Accountants
Phone: 06 835 5018
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Assistant to Webmaster and
Database researcher
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Ross Crosby
+61 451 968816
email rncrosby@tpg.com.au
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With co-ordinators throughout our main regions.
webmaster@sst.org.nz for technical issues regarding this website.
The mission of the Sensible Sentencing Trust is:
"To obtain a large base of community support to ensure safety for all New Zealanders from violent and criminal offending through education, development of effective penal policies, and the promotion of responsible behaviour, accountable parenting and respect for each other at all levels of society".
The only thing necessary for evil to prevail is for good
men and women to do nothing
Sensible Sentencing is a Nationwide organisation with membership increasing daily.
The time is right, Enough is Enough. This is a people issue, we need you, call 0900 SAFE NZ to join!
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