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Archived Press Releases 2004 2nd September 2004

Payout to Criminals will backfire

(2nd September 2004)

The $500,000 payout to criminals and their lawyers will come back to haunt the recipients according to New Zealand's largest victims rights organization.

The public will be shocked and disgusted this payment was awarded to criminals on the same day massive cuts to Victim Support were announced. This is just another slap in the face and a kick in the guts for the victims, say the Sensible Sentencing Trust.

"No doubt many defence lawyers and the Howard League for penal reform and all the other "criminal" rights organizations will be jumping for joy and lining up to suck at this newly discovered tax payer funded Pig Trough" said the national spokesman for the Trust.

Mr McVicar was commenting on yesterdays High Court ruling to award five criminals, who alleged they had suffered psychological torture and / or inhuman or degrading punishment while in prison a total of $130,000 in damages. Justice Ronald Young also awarded costs of $358,000 to be paid to Legal Aid Services.

Where were the human rights these parasites now claim when they raped or murdered their victims. They showed their victims no mercy and they definitely subjected them to psychological torture, said Mr McVicar. It shows what a bunch of low life cowards these "once were warrior" type criminals really are, they love terrorizing and torturing defenseless victims but when the tables turn they want to be protected by the law.

The real shame of all this is these pathetic criminals found an equally pathetic bunch of defence lawyers to argue that convicted rapists and murderers are entitled to the same human rights as law abiding citizens.

Regards,

Garth McVicar
National Spokesperson,
Sensible Sentencing Trust.