Editorial: When there is no justice even when justice is served

Andrew Austin, Editor of Hawke's Bay Today.

You would be a cold-hearted person who did not have sympathy for victims of any criminal activity who went through the (to varying degrees) exhausting justice process and ended up with no justice, or very little of it.

Take for example the story we had on the front page of yesterday's paper about anti-vaccine campaigner Christopher William Savage, who in November last year was ordered by a judge in the Hastings District court in November to pay reparation of $1600 after misrepresenting himself as a medical practitioner and injecting a diabetes sufferer.

Our reporter Victoria White spoke to the victim at the weekend and he is still waiting to be paid. The 47-year-old, who asked not to be named, says his ability to recover is being hampered, as Savage left the country without paying any of the reparation.

"I'm trying to get on with my life but I can't, he's damaged me."

By all accounts Savage is back in Australia and still has not paid the debt.

The worst thing about this story is that there is apparently, according to a spokesman, no enforcement action the Ministry of Justice can take on a fine where the person owing it is not in New Zealand.

This is unbelievable, as one would think that the fine and reparation should have been paid before Savage left the country.

This is exactly what Savage's victim wants to see happen.

When Savage was charged, his passport was taken away, but when he was sentenced, it was returned to him BEFORE he paid the fine.

The victim says he should only have been given it on receipt of payment.

It is pretty hard to argue with that logic.