Kerre Woodham: Tougher sentences are the way to go

The Government's harshest sentencing rules begin today. Rules like capping the maximum discount that a judge can apply at 40 percent, with some exceptions.

There will be no repeat discounts for youth offenders, those aged 18 to 25. No discounts for remorse, if you're sorry again and again and again, you only get to be sorry once, because Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said repeat discounts had allowed for lenient sentences.

A new aggravating factor has been introduced for offences against sole charge workers and those whose homes and businesses are interconnected. So basically your corner dairy and that's part of the National-ACT coalition agreement.

A sliding scale for early guilty pleas has been implemented. There's a maximum discount of 25 percent, reduced to a maximum of 5 percent if the guilty plea is entered once the trial has started.

I think there should be a discount for early guilty pleas saving us all the cost of a trial, all for that - but once the trial started and you're playing silly buggars and then decide yeah, I did do it, minimal discount.

The use of cumulative sentencing for offences committed while on bail and custody or on parole will be encouraged to denounce behaviour that indicates a disregard for the criminal justice system, and this was part of the National- NZ First Coalition agreement.

Why have these tougher changes been made? Because that's what New Zealanders in the main wanted. We were fed up with seeing instances like this - a teen mongrel mob member who broke into the home of a pregnant woman, didn't know her, tried to friend her on Facebook, she wasn't having a bar of it - so he broke into her house and indecently assaulted her in the bed she was sharing with her child. This teen (was actually 19), but teen offender was sentenced to 12 months home detention for breaking into her house and for indecently assaulting her in her bed. 

Judge Gordon Matena said he had to hold Stevie Taunoa accountable but also had to take into account his youth at the time of the offending. He noted that Taunoa had spent seven months in custody, had been on electronic monitoring bail since the charges were laid.

He acknowledged that Taunoa had used drugs from a young age and that his offending had been motivated by drug addiction. He also noted his lack of cultural identity and his membership in the Mongrel Mob before sentencing him to 12 months of home detention.  Taunoa said “thank you, judge. I appreciate that”, then laughed like a drain as he entered the police cells and yelled out to all and sundry “cracked it”. All that remorse, eh?

In the meantime, the poor woman said she didn't want to live on her own anymore. She was terrified of the dark, she was terrified to sleep and because of his youth, because he was a druggie, because he lacked cultural identity, because he was a member of the Mongrel Mob, all of that meant that he got his sentence discounted. I was fed up with seeing things stories like this. 

This is only one example. There are hundreds and hundreds. And how can you be sorry 3, 4, 5 times? I'm really sorry. I violently assaulted this person. I'm really sorry I sexually offended. Not once, not twice, not three, four times I'm really sorry. No, no, no, enough.

Again, if the Justice Department could show me that all of these discounts applied to violent offenders to sexual offenders to young offenders, if these discounts meant that they realised they'd had a lucky escape from prison, that this was an opportunity to look at another direction in their lives and take it, if you could show me that it worked I'd be interested in talking. Doubt that you can.

The Government's also looking at longer prison sentences for people who assault prison officers or on duty first responders such as paramedics and firefighters. This is so overdue. The proposals will create a new, specific offence for assaults on firs

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Carrywood and Morning's podcast from News Talks.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
He'd be the government's harshest sentencing rules begin today. Rules
like capping the maximum discount that a judge can apply
at forty percent, with some exceptions. I think forty percent
is quite enough. Could have gone further there are There

(00:30):
will be no repeat discounts for youth offenders those aged
eighteen to twenty five. No discounts for remorse. If you're
sorry again and again and again, you only get to
be sorry once. Because Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said repeat
discounts had allowed for lenient sentences. A new aggravating factor

(00:55):
has been introduced for offenses against soul charge workers and
those whose homes and businesses are interconnected, so basically your
corner dairy and that's part of the National Act coalition agreement.
A sliding scale for early guilty police has been implemented.
There's a maximum discount of twenty five percent, reduced to

(01:17):
a maximum of five percent if the guilty plea is
entered once the trial has started. I think there should
be a discount for early guilty please, saving us all
the cost of a trial. So all for that, but yeah,
once the trials started and you're playing silly buggers and
then go oh yeah, yeah, I did do it. Minimal

(01:38):
discount the use of cumulative sentencing for offense is committed
while on bail, in custody or on parole. Will be
encouraged to denounce behavior that indicates a disregard for the
criminal justice system. And this was part of the National
New Zealand First Coalition agreement. Why have these changes, these

(02:02):
tougher changes been made, because that's what New Zealand is
and the main wanted. We were fed up with seeing
instances like this, a teen and mongrel mob member who
broke into the home of a pregnant woman, didn't know her,
tried to friend her on Facebook. She wasn't having a

(02:23):
bar of it, so he basically broke into her house
and indecently assaulted her in the bed she was sharing
with her child. So this teen who was actually nineteen
but teen offender was sentenced to twelve months home detention

(02:48):
for breaking into her house for indecently assaulting her in
her bed. Given twelve months home detention. Judge Gordon Martinger
said he had to hold Stevie Tonaua accountable, but also
had to take into account his u at the time
of the offending. He noted that Tonaa had spent seven

(03:10):
months in custody had been on electronic monitoring bail since
the charges were laid. He acknowledged that Tonoa had used
drugs from a young age and that his offending had
been motivated by drug addiction. He also noted his lack
of cultural identity and his membership in the Mongrel Mob
before sentencing him to twelve months of home detention. Tonaua

(03:35):
said thank you, Judge, I appreciate then then laughed like
a drain as he entered the police sales and yelled
out tall and sundry cracked. It will that remorse? Yeah,
really sorry. In the meantime, the poor woman said she
didn't want to live on her own anymore. She was
terrified of the dark, she was terrified to sleep. And

(04:00):
because of his youth, because he was a druggy, because
he lacked cultural identity, because he was a member of
the Mongral mob, all of that meant that he got
his sentence discounted. And I think I was fed up
with seeing things stories like this. This is only one example.

(04:21):
There are hundreds, hundreds and hundreds and how can you
be sorry three, four or five times. I'm really sorry
I violently assaulted this person. I'm really sorry I sexually offended,
not once, not twice, not three times, four times, I'm
really sorry. No, no, no, enough again. If the Justice

(04:48):
Department could show me that all of these discounts applied
to violent offenders, to sexual offenders, to young offenders, if
these discounts meant that they realized that had a lucky
escape from prison, that this was an opp tunity to
look at another direction in their lives and take it

(05:11):
to think right, I don't want to go down this path.
I'm going to use this as a as an absolute
wake up call to change my ways and go in
another direction. If you could show me that it worked,
I'd be interested in talking. Doubt that you can.

Speaker 1 (05:28):
Dare you?

Speaker 2 (05:29):
Dare you to show me the figures that showed that
discounts for remorse and youth actually worked. The government's also
looking at longer prison sentences for people who assault prison
officers or on duty first responders such as paramedics and firefighters.
This is so overdue. I thought this was this was

(05:50):
talked about. I think God, I think it was under
the Clerk Government they first talked about it. The proposals
were to create a new specific offense for assaults on
first responders for those who have family who work on
the front line. I know a number of you were
terrified about your love one's going to work. You really
hope that you got to see them again, fit and

(06:15):
healthy when they came back through the door. Does this
give you a greater degree of security? Probably not, because
the offense has to happen before they're punished. But at
least I hope it gives you the confidence to know
that the first responders are valued, that you recognized that

(06:39):
we know what you do as walk into danger while
other people are running away from it.

Speaker 1 (06:44):
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