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Archived Press Releases 2007 8th May 2007

Kevin McNeil's response to Guantanamo Bay comments by Civil Liberties lawyer

(8th May 2007)

When I was first asked to put a submission forward my thoughts were "great, here is a victims true and meaningful attempt to make our country a better and safer place for all New Zealanders", what I did not expect was to have submissions from myself, other victims, and the Sensible Sentencing Trust, ridiculed and called Fascist, Nazi, and "going back to Nuremberg war crimes trials", being some examples given.

Are Tony Ellis and Michael Bott happy that this country has outrageous murders, children being shot, mass murders in the Mt Wellington R.S.A, people getting murdered in prison vans, murdered in our schools, murdered on farms, the continued home invasions that appear to be an every day occurrence, the tourists that visit our wonderful country only to be murdered or maimed or targeted by rapists and thieves, really do we as a country want this to continue? I certainly have had enough of what is escalating violence.

Do the Council of Civil Liberties feel that these hideous crimes are ok? Going by the article in the N Z Herald Tuesday May the 8th, they obviously condone these sort of attacks, by attacking those that are attempting to make good old New Zealand a safer place. They obviously are not victims of hideous crimes, or they don't know victims of the crimes committed by the criminals they stand up for.

One has to remember the offenders of these heinous crimes have had, or should have had their rights taken away from them. Why you ask? Simply because they never gave the victim any rights when committing these crimes, the victims have no rights, offenders have it all!!!.

With the system that currently operates Tony Ellis and Michael Bott know all too well how to manipulate the legal aid gravy train. Are they in fear of losing that right, and the paydays it brings?

Should it be fair enough to say that all released prisoners, those coming up for release on parole, and all those that murder, rape, molest, and thieve while on parole will be the responsibility of the Civil Liberties Council and it's members, how long would they like this commitment?

How dare this organization even attempt to ridicule us through the media when all we want is our country to be safer. There are a lot of victims out there, if we all got together as a collective group we would have the power to make change for the better, not for our pockets.

At least myself, my family and other victims can honestly say that we put these submissions forward with good intent and for the good of our country. Remember we as victims are doing the hard yards and will continue to do so, we have been there, done that, experience it is called, one can only wish we did not have to experience what we have been through though.

Regards,

Kevin McNeil
son of murdered Tokorora Primary School Teacher, Lois Dear