Letters to the editor: Why is Scott Watson still languishing behind bars?

Scott Watson in the High Court at Christchurch in 2015. Photo / John Kirk-Anderson

During the high tide of Witchcraft trials in the 15th and 16th centuries, the only way an accused person could avoid execution by being burnt alive was to confess to being a Witch or Wizard, name accomplices and throw oneself at the mercy of the court.

Persons of integrity who refused to confess or denied the existence of witchcraft always perished.

In my opinion, the New Zealand Parole Board seems to follow the same ideology in refusing Scott Watson parole again after he has spent 23 years in prison, all because ultimately he won't admit that he killed Ben Smart and Olivia Hope.

In my view, the evidence for his guilt was always doubtful, and the police case has been destroyed over the last 23 years, but he still languishes behind bars.

Why New Zealand? Where is the Criminal Cases Review Commission promised years ago by the Government?

Alan Dickson
Tauranga

Replace private landlords

I disagree with the comments made by Ian Young (Letters, December 5).

First, there should be no private landlords - they are the scourge of society and should be replaced with an agency regulated by the Government.

Secondly, with the high rents being charged by landlords, tenants should have the first claim when it comes to rights.

Tenants should have the right to claim value for money - a decent, warm, dry, and wholesome environment to house their families, a rent that is appropriate to the quality of the house and its amenities.

Houses should not be used as a get-rich-quick scheme for investors.

Regulations - if we have to have landlords - should be set by an independent regulator, not landlords.

Jim Adams
Rotorua

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