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Archived Press Releases 2007 21st January 2007

MOTHER OF MICHAEL CHOY CALLS FOR MAJOR PAROLE SHAKE-UP

(21st January 2007)

The mother of Michael Choy who was murdered while delivering pizza’s in 2001 is calling for a major shake-up of parole laws, saying parole is a failed and dangerous experiment.

Michael Choy’s mother, Rita Croskery, will appear before the Parole Board tomorrow to try and stop Kurariki being released but she fears her efforts will be in vain.

Rita Croskery said the Parole Board have come under "considerable and undue" political pressure to use parole to lower the prison population and she feels cases like the Graeme Burton fiasco will be repeated.

"We believe it is time to have a major reform of the parole laws, parole has caused the death of to many innocent Kiwis already and we believe this is totally unacceptable."

"My family has joined with the Sensible Sentencing Trust to lobby for total abolishment of parole for repeat offenders, violent offenders and murders."

Sensible Sentencing Trust spokesman Garth McVicar, said it was time to put the interests and feelings of victims before those of criminals, "The criminals had a choice and made it, the victims of these offenders had no choice and yet we continue traumitising the victims family through the parole system."

Mr McVicar said if politicians were really serious about the "safety of the community" they would abolish parole immediately. "Until we treat criminals as being responsible and accountable for their actions nothing will change."

"No more inquiries, no more reports, just get rid of parole, put the victims first, Kurariki should be made an example of for the sake of the young violent kids following in his shoes."

"He is not a hero; he is part of lost generation that is a result of New Zealand’s liberal experiment on crime and criminals."

Regards,
Rita Croskery
and
Garth McVicar
National Spokesperson,
Sensible Sentencing Trust.