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Archived Press Releases 2010 19th July 2010

SOUR GRAPES BEHIND ATTACK, SAYS SOPHIE’S DAD

(19th July 2010)

An attack on recent Government changes to the justice system by lawyers has been condemned by the families involved, who say Defence lawyers simply have sour grapes.

Gil Elliott, whose daughter Sophie was brutally murdered by Clayton Weatherston in 2008, has hit back at lawyers who claim the abolition of the provocation defence after the trial was one of several recent examples of the Government changing laws in a 'kneejerk reaction' to public feeling.

"Defence lawyers simply cannot see that the criminal justice system does not deliver justice and is unfair to victims. The system leans over backwards for offenders, who have their rights unfairly enshrined in the New Zealand Bill of Rights."

They just have sour grapes because the tide of public opinion has moved away from protecting the scum they represent and the Government is rebalancing the scales of justice," Mr Elliott said.

Claims by lawyers that the Government was 'meddling' by scrapping outdated laws showed that some in the legal profession had lost sight of their role and had an inflated sense of self-importance.

"Governments are entitled to enact any laws they like. It is not meddling but their duty as members of parliament. Defence lawyers seem to think they should be the ones in the driving seat simply because for so long the legal system has been all about the rights of offenders. They need to realise those days are gone."

Law Society President Jonathan Temm's claims that amendments to the justice system were "piecemeal" and happening too quickly showed that he was out of step with what most New Zealanders wanted.

His criticism of the public "love affair with Prime Minister John Key" had revealed Temm's liberal left-wing leanings and showed a lack of respect for the law makers who governed his profession.

"Lawyers and the criminals they represent have been the tail wagging the dog for too long and now they are acting like small children having a tantrum because they are no longer getting their own way."

Sensible Sentencing Trust spokesman Garth McVicar backed Mr Elliott's views, saying that the Government's job was to make changes in accordance with current public feeling, and that was clearly in favour of a new approach to a failing justice system.

"Some defence lawyers are so focused on the rights of the people who pay their big salaries that they have lost touch with what real New Zealand people want, and that is a fair and modern justice system. They are throwing their toys out of the cot because the Government is finally listening," said Mr McVicar.

Regards,

Garth McVicar
National Spokesperson,
Sensible Sentencing Trust.