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Archived Press Releases 2002 August 25th

GUILTY VERDICT IN CHOY MURDER TRIAL A GREAT RESULT?

(25th August 2002)

Nothing can bring Michael Choy back but Michael's family and most New Zealanders can take some consolation in the guilty verdict. Sensible Sentencing congratulate the Police, the Crown prosecutor and the Jury, said National spokesperson Garth McVicar

Under our existing Justice System all that remains to be done is the sentencing of the offenders. But is that really all that remains to be done? Why are so many young people offending time and time again?

Is it not time we as a Nation had a very close look at what has gone wrong?

This is the very issue Sensible Sentencing has been campaigning about. Youth offending is at the heart of why we started the organisation.

Violent Crime started escalating in the mid 1970's and has continued spiralling out of control since. The policy changes that were made then and many that have been made since hold the key to why this has happened. The politically correct social experiment has been a disaster, a total failure, and we are paying the price for that now.

If we are a modern caring society, if we are serious about reducing the prison population and saving many of our young people from a life of crime and jail then surely we must learn from our past history!!

Our Nation and our people are crying out for sensible CRADLE TO GRAVE policies of Accountability, Responsibility, Respect and Discipline. The youth offenders of today are simply a byproduct of the failed policies of past well meaning administrations. The FREE LUNCH brigade or those that promote "no responsibility" ideals have made absolute fools of many of our young people, and simply mass produced criminals

Regards,

Garth McVicar
National Spokesperson,
Sensible Sentencing Trust.