English lashes at hate crime sentencing law

By HELEN TUNNAH

National leader Bill English has attacked new laws that could result in the killers of Marcus Doig and John Vaughan being treated less harshly than other murderers.

He said a law imposing tougher sentences for the victims of "hate crimes" was not fair to victims who were "general public" New Zealanders.

Mr Doig, a pizza parlour worker, and Mr Vaughan, a bank teller, were shot in two robberies in Auckland this month.

Two men have been charged with their murders, and a third man has been charged with murdering Mr Vaughan, who will be buried tomorrow.

Mr English said the Government's sentencing law, passed by Parliament this month, created a new category of victim.

If someone was assaulted or killed because he or she was part of a group identified by religion, race or sexual orientation, an offender could be given a much harsher sentence.

Mr English told National delegates at their northern regional conference in Auckland yesterday that the new category of a hate crime was "political correctness gone mad".

"I just wonder which group Labour think John Vaughan was part of; which group Marcus Doig was part of; which group the staff of the Mt Wellington RSA were part of.

"They were part of the general public, people who go to work, do their job, who support their families.

"Labour says their killers will get a lesser sentence. That is wrong. That is absolutely wrong.

"How do we know whether the offender hated them? They were killed and killed violently.

"Those citizens have every right to the same retribution of society as anyone else."

Mr English, whose key speech to the conference focused on law and order, said National would not leave out the general public when it came to tougher sentencing.

He said that he had attended last week's candlelight vigil for Mr Vaughan at Mangere Bridge after reading how his 9-year-old son said goodbye to him before life-support Machinery was switched off.

Mr English said the vigil reminded him of his visit late last year to the Mt Wellington-Panmure Returned Services Association club, after three people were killed and a fourth severely beaten.

"There's no point in having a strong economy or ambitions for your country if people cannot feel safe in their community.

"National will lock up the bad criminals to protect the community. That is why we have a policy of 'life means life'."

He also criticised the new Parole Act, which means some criminals may be released after serving one-third of their prison terms.

Mr English said later he was not politicising the deaths of Mr Doig and Mr Vaughan.

"I went to Mangere Bridge because that community gathered there is the human face of the victim of these kinds of crimes.

"The Government has passed legislation that means violent criminals can get out after one-third of their sentence.

"We're motivated about this and we're going to fix it."

Labour has said the two new laws do introduce tougher sentences for criminals, by extending the use of preventive detention, and allowing for brutal killers to be sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 17 years.