Victims' lobby group turns five

Garth McVicar and his wife, Anne. Picture / Hawkes Bay Today

When Peter Doig lost his son to a murderer's drug-fuelled rampage, he did not need to look far for an ally in his fight for justice.

In the painful aftermath of the killing of pizza worker Marcus Doig by gunman Ese Falealii in 2002, the Sensible Sentencing Trust stood ready to be that ally.

"It's the only vehicle that is mobilising or conveying to the Government the views of many, many people, whether you are a victim or just a believer in doing something about crime," Mr Doig said. "By pooling all of those views ... it has a bit of a force with Government, and I think it is doing a damn good job. When I heard about [the trust], I soon supported it, because I believe in what it is doing."

From small beginnings, this week the trust celebrated its five-year anniversary. In those five years the group and its founding spokesman, Garth McVicar, have become household names as crusaders for tougher sentences and better treatment of victims.

The trust was born in March 2001 after Mr McVicar and his wife, Anne, felt compelled to act when he saw Mark Middleton being charged for publicly threatening to kill the man who murdered his teenage stepdaughter Karla Cardno.

"In my opinion Mark Middleton was an exceptionally brave man who was simply voicing what most New Zealanders felt. I had often said myself that if anyone hurt one of my family they would pay with their life," Mr McVicar said. "We made the decision to contact Mr Middleton and offer our support. The [court] trial was to be held in Auckland ... and I made the decision to attend. We did not know it then but that was the birth of Sensible Sentencing Trust."

The trust is now run from a Napier office with five volunteers handling inquiries from victims and developing strategies. The trust will not disclose its membership, but Mr McVicar said it had built up steadily after speaking at public meetings around the country.

"Everyone involved works on a voluntary basis and their sole motivation is still their passion for a better system and a better deal for victims."

The trust had worked hard to get greater rights for victims, longer sentences for murderers and more powers for police to test people's DNA.

"Possibly our biggest success has been the huge public support behind the need for justice reform and victims rights and highlighting the flaws in the system," Mr McVicar said. "The Parole Board have taken this on board and have become far more victim aware and are now reforming their systems to take into consideration the needs of the victim. We believe we have successfully put the law and order debate back in the hands of the people."

Justice Minister Mark Burton said there was no doubt the trust had "focused considerable public attention on issues related to victims of crime".

"And therefore in many ways stimulated the public debate around some of those issues. I wouldn't have always agreed with them ... but I think the debate is healthy and constructive."

National Party law and order spokesman Simon Power said the trust had made a "valuable contribution to the law and order debate".

"It's important that all sides of the argument are represented and Sensible Sentencing Trust have historically done a good job of that," Mr Power said.