KEY POINTS:
This forum debate has now closed. Here is an earlier selection of your views on the topic.
Kent
The sentence to Graeme Burton is a very powerful sentence. It is a perfect example of a punishment worse than death. In Graeme Burtons own words, he wished to be killed in a police shootout.Now, not only did he not get his wish, he will live each day in perpetual torment of what he has done. One day he will realise the pain and misery he has caused. One day he will have regrets. He will look at his calendar and see that he still has another decade in prison. Another decade bemoaning his crimes, another decade being the dogs body to other prisoners. Cripples don't get sympathy in prison. As time goes by and inmates come and go, Burton will lose any social "mana" he may have within the prison population. He will hate himself and his actions and yet have no way of ever making it right. In a way, I feel sorry for Graeme Burton. Not now, but when he is released with no leg, no family, no friends, no money, no hope. Another suicide statistic waiting to happen.
Mel
Does not the fact that Graham Burton is the first person to be sentenced to jail twice for murder suggest that rehabilitation is in fact possible, and that the majority of people sentenced to jail for murder do not go on to kill again after their release? While I have deep sympathy for the loss suffered by the families of Burton's victims, the number of people baying for his blood is terrifying.
Bill van den Burg
This person should never ever be let out of prison. His callous and wanton disregard for human life including his own, will make him perpetually dangerous. We are taught to value human life even before our own, and this person acts out the exact opposite.
Paul
If I was going to murder someone I would definitely do it in New Zealand; just in case I got caught.
RS
Hang the bastard!!! He took an innocent mans life and we the tax payers now have to fork out some $60K a year to let him watch TV, have a roof over his head, a warm bed to sleep in and fed 3 times a day. Some of us cant even afford a roof over our head.
Robert L
No, Burton does not deserve this sentence. The police should have shot to kill. This man cannot be rehabilitated.
Astrid Griffin
What a pity the policeman did not aim slightly higher! What a complete waste of taxpayer's money that we have to keep this degenerate going by feeding him and giving him a warm place to sleep not to mention watching tv and recreational facilities! I feel really aggrieved that I, as a taxpayer, have to fork out my hard-earned money to pay to rehabilitate this rubbish! For the rest of their lives, the victims children have to live with the knowledge that their father was ruthlessly robbed of his life, that he will never see them grow up and get married or see his grandchildren. His wife has to live with the knowledge that her mate will not grow old with her. Burton has no rights. He willfully took away the rights of an innocent man and changed the victims family forever - in circumstances like this he should be hung. I have no sympathy at all for this individual - some people cannot be rehabilitated - the Government should stop wasting our money on rubbish like this! I fail to understand how it is that criminals seem to have more rights than their victims and in some circumstances even manage to obtain financial compensation from the Government - wake up and smell the coffee people - it is the victims who should receive compensation not the criminals, If you take someone's life you have no rights, simple as that. I strongly disagree with people blaming society for the wrongs of rubbish like Burton. We are all born with a conscience and with the ability to distinguish between right and wrong - stop making it easy for them by blaming society - what a cop out man!
Andy
Scum like himself should not be breathing the same air as us.. get rid of him..
Tracey
Once a killer... will remain a killer, do not let him back into society!! They are making it far too easy on these people to re-offend.
Geoff Ward
What's wrong with hanging this piece of trash!
Matt
Does he deserve it? Absolutely. He killed an innocent human being, and, in my opinion, even 26 years is not long enough for people like him.
G Coates
This man should never ever be released. He has proven he can fool anyone and appears to have no intention of staying off the drugs that cause him to offend - if we are to believe that is his problem.
Jeremy
First a nod to the AOS unit that knee capped him. Bravo, good target practice! ;) Please realise that Burton wanted to be killed by the cops. He is very pissed that he has lost his leg. To scumbags like Burton to be knee caped like that is pretty humiliating. Sure, he might have a 26year non-parole I suspect that they are not going to make the same mistake next time he goes up in front of the parole board. I think its clear that police need direct input into peoples suitability for release. Also it is clear that the people being released for violent crimes, esp. those that are gang or drug related need to be watched very carefully.
Natalie
Life should be life!
Aaron
It is a shame that so much of New Zealand is under the misonception that prison is a "soft" option. Prison is not easy. Burton will not spend his days exercising in the sun, eating well cooked meals, learning to carve, paint or study university courses. He wont become a master table tennis player and wont get conjugal visits. Given his previous dangerous behaviour in prison he will probably spend most of his first 10 years in his cell, being let out for 1-2 hours per day to exercise etc. When he is eventually released he will be a 62 year old man, with one leg, little or no family, no friends on the outside. He will most probably die alone and few people will attend his funeral. Sure, he ended the life of someone else, but if you think about it, simply murdering Burton will only give him an easy way out.
Dean
I believe Graeme Burton's offending is a social issue and as such we shouldn't really be blaming just him alone for his brutal behaviour. There's no doubt in my mind that Burton is as much a victim of circumstances as what his own victims were to him when he decided to take their lives. It is my opinion that Graeme's case needs to be seriously looked at and thoroughly investigated to determine the real reasons behind why he went off the rails otherwise this type of offending will probably only reoccur again and again at different times in the future with possibly similar or even more serious consequences to innocent victims. To blame a single individual or a single reason behind an extreme act of brutality is simplistic to say the very least. Surely just one man alone is not capable of committing such violence all by himself so therefore there must be even greater forces that come into play here such as childhood depravity and social pressures that would no doubt have an even greater impact in determining what ultimately happens within the fabric of society.
W Lennie
Last week an Australian handyman was sentenced for the calculated murder of an elderly couple for whom he worked. He had tied them up, then used the PIN numbers in an attempt to raise enough funds to purchase a pub, before murdering them both. The judge stated "The offender is to remain in prison for the term of his natural life." I personally am not in favour of the death penalty, but I believe that in some circumstances offenders should not be given the privilege of returning to society. Graeme Burton should remain behind bars. It is a waste of taxpayers' time and money in twenty years or so for the Parole Board to meet and consider his release. The decision should be made now so that those who have suffered from his actions should not be forced to re-live them over and over again in preparation for Parole Board hearings.
Raylee Dawson-Basham
Great to see harsh penalties for a despicable crime. But what a waste of tax payers money! We as taxpayers have to pay to keep sick - like him and others inside, for our safety. Don't waste any more tax payer money on rehabilitation. Bring back the death penalty, shoot the bastard and save us the money, he doesn't deserve a second chance. No wait, he can always find the Bible, that is the perfect front for harden criminals to fool society into thinking they're better people.
Amanda
This man is plain evil. Why should the taxpayer have to pay for him to have 3 meals a day and luxuries that many families have to go without? There is no excuse for what he has done, not every person who has had a bad childhood go and commit murder while on the run from the police and then assault a prison officer in the back of a prison van. 26 years is not enough for the people's lives he has affected.
Billy
He needs to be removed from this earth of ours. He kills others and readers are blaming the system? Wake up and smell the roses. If this creature was a dog doing this he would be removed from society for good. My opinion is that we need to execute this type of person. I will do it if they mamby pamby law makers need someone to do it. It like sweeping the street, some one has to take out the garbage.
Jared
26 years in a hotel where he will have access to tv, recreational activities, 3 good meals a day. Sounds pretty nice to me. Our prisons are a joke and so are our sentences. I wonder if the family who have lost loved ones believe 26 years is a suitable sentence for a remorseless, sadistic piece of human waste. In 26 years he will be out ready to re-offend. I hope this man lives his life out in pain.
Alastair
The man is clearly a recidivist and as such should never be released to interact with the general public again. He is an example of an old and failing justice/rehabilitation program that simply does not work. This is not the best answer, but failing the death penalty, it is the only way law abiding New Zealanders can be kept safe from him.
Karen Read
Absolutely and he deserves longer.
Anthony
Absolutely he deserves it!! And the Parole Board should be spending some time inside too!
Raki Hutcheson
It is high time New Zealand brings back capital punishment. For a crime such as this; personally a sentence of 26 years is far too lenient.
Val
Lock him up and throw away the key, 26 years is still not enough for the likes of this person who obviously has no conscience and couldnt care less about other human beings. Solitary confinement and a diet of bread and water will keep the costs down for the taxpayer who will in turn pay to keep him in jail.
A N Eimaus
Burton enacted a cold calculating action on his victim with dire outcomes. He has a proven history of similar action. He showed no sense of remorse or guilt in doing the things he carried out. In my estimation he is one of the lowest forms of human life, and by that judgement alone should be removed permanently from humanity for its own safety. His sentence is every bit justifiable but only goes part way towards satisfying the societal outcry. The victim's family still have to live with the fact that the life of their loved family member was ended in such a cold, callous way. No prison sentence will change the unfortunate memories they have to shoulder. Certainly Burton's behaviour is uncondonable. The prison system has an uphill battle in trying to "rehabilitate" him (it's their job, people will say...) and, judging by the system's impact & past performance on him, is unlikely to make any impact at all. With the inherent costs of maintaining this individual in the prison system, some $60K a year, wouldn't it be cheaper to re-instate the death penalty for such a cold callous killer and save society from his potential escapes (and terrible consequences) and the undesirable drain to the taxpayer's pocket? This man deserves a bullet; not 3 square meals a day and a warm bed.
John
If someone takes a life they should never be set free. Victims and their loved ones have no such respite. They can never "start again".
Derrick Hodgson
He should never be let out. For this type of offender justice should be swift, execution is the only way. What use is this person to society? None.
Jack Gribble
Are you kidding? NZ is gutless in this manner. He should be hung for what he did.
Patricia S
I think he should have got a longer sentence. The families that have lost their loved ones due to his offending certainly have longer sentences. He has proved that there is no hope of him ever being rehabilitated, and what is to say that when he is released after this sentence that he will continue in the same way.
Judy
Yes I agree with the sentence but feel it is still not long enough, the victims are left with a full life sentence so why shouldn't he, and anyone else who commits these terrible crimes get the same.
C S Barron
It's a pity the Police did not aim higher when they shot Burton, a bullet to the head would have saved the tax payers a lot of money.Bread and water for the next 26 years.
Geoff
After reading other peoples views, I am frustrated to see that people still feel remorse for this guy. Hes taken away 2 boys father and someones husband. One readers coment stated that if Sue Bradfords bill was made a law years ago, that it could of made a difference to Burton's life...thats the biggest load of #$ per cent^ I have ever laid my eyes on. Yea, as if an anti-smacking law is going to prevent a homicide...keep dreaming. In my opinion Burton's had his chance at a new start, rehabilitations over ladies and gents. Time to look at punishment. If it was up to me, Id put a noose round that one-legged low life's neck and hang him.Based on the readers comments, I think we should consider passing a bill for capital punishment and stop wasting tax payers money lobbying for some time wasting anti-smacking bill. All on all, NZ needs to toughen up.
Brad
Burton is a waste of space, and has abdicated his right to be part of this society. In the absence of the death penalty, put him in a cell by himself and throw away the key!
Grant Allen
No, he does not deserve that sentence he deserves a date with a tight noose.
Paul
This guy is trash. Hang him very slowly before he kills again. All these goody two shoes saying he had a tough upbringing! We all have had it tough.
Lynn
Well I can't believe that you are actually asking people if this sentence is fair. Of course it is. Whats not fair is the fact that a woman is without her husband and 2 small boys no longer have their dad. That is not fair.
Me
If only more criminals like him were given similar sentences, maybe NZ would be a safer place to be. Its sad that they did not give him a longer sentence but surely his prison mates would welcome a handicapped person into their midst. Poor him.
Paul Thompson
He should be shot a dawn or locked up forever and the keys thrown away period.
Dan McLachlan
The guy is a waste of space. The money that will be spent on this piece of human refuse should be spent on improving facilities for our disabled, for underprivileged kids. He should hang.
D. Casey
Prison is too good for him, and costs to the taxpayer. He should be put out of circulation by hanging or shot like the poor person he shot
Alison
Burton is a victim too. Let's try to find out why he did what he did, it's a shame Sue Bradford's Bill wasn't around when he was a child. If we were to execute him we would be no better than him.
Adam
I'm appalled at the lynch-mob mentality of many of your correspondents on this issue. Sure, he has committed heinous crimes; but once we stop believing in rehabilitation we may as well stop believing in the whole prison system completely. I think the messages of "hang him from the highest tree" and "I'd like to pull the switch on the electric chair" say more about the writers than the actual problem at hand.
Te Taniwha
The readers are missing the point. They seem focused solely on Burton and his sentence. Remember, the system released him back into society when police were challenging that decision. The parole board knew better, the corrections department knew better, everyone who made the decision to release this animal and then fail to care for him post release are accountable for the loss of life and destruction he caused. Not Burton alone.
Kingdon
Life for life - Burton, (and plenty of others) have taken more than one persons life, in more ways than murder. Burton has proven that he can not live in any sort of society, inside or outside prison , he doesn't deserve the right to walk amongst us! When is the Government going to wake up? Probably not until one of there own, in there protected, sheltered, little world gets affected!
Maree
He deserves life with no parole! What's wrong with the justice system?
Andy
Somehow I can foresee another judge making legal history again, by sentencing Burton to his third "life" sentence for his third murder. In 26 years Burton will only be 62. He will have been well fed in prison, given free access to whatever medical care he needed, and will have worked out at the prison gym every day. When he gets released he will be in very good shape -- better than most law-abiding folk -- albeit with only one leg. No doubt he will be outfitted with a very good prosthetic and will be very accustomed to using it. And he will have the same sick soul as he has today. So why not Preventative Detention this time?
Greg
He should have been placed in a Box 8 feet down instead he ends up in a "Hotel Box."
Mau Leota
I think Graeme Burton is a great risk to society whether he's 45 or 60 years old. Because he obviously lacks remorse, he should not be released from prison at all. If he was never caught, sadly there would have been more unnecessary deaths.
Rob
He didn't deserve 26 years, the mongrel deserves to hang. Bring back capital punishment for filth like this.
Jessica
Burton should be sent to jail for life in a wet cold moldy cell with one meal of gruel a day and a bucket for a toilet and one shower a week. He doesnt deserve 26 years he needs a lot more and harsher conditions. Obviously the "rehabilitation programe" is rubbish. Get a grip New Zealand. How about we look at sending him to live in prison in Jakarta or something teach that animal a lesson.
Martin
This guy should stay in prison for the rest of his days, no question. One other thing, why do judges use the silly term 'life sentence' when it seems it never means that. Why not say that his sentence is 36 years.
Sarah K
A life for a life. This is not 26 years.
Belinda McKain
A Catch 22 situation. Reason being is that it's correct in that Burton needs to be kept away from the public VS compliments of the tax payers keeping him behind bars and another blow to the overcrowded prison scenario. NZ's judicial system is a joke. Doesn't take a part-time possum raiser in their back yard to figure out that most of the prison population are re-offenders. It's a roof over their head, clothing, food, let's milk the system. Why is this so? Who's not doing their job properly? Someone's accountable for this. This is the heart of the problem. What about zero tolerance? What about an Eye for an Eye?
Lourens Botha
No, he should be hanged.
Dennis
Why let him go at all? What, do they think he'll come out of prison in 26 years and get himself a job, fall in love and live happily ever after?! By the time he gets out, prison will be his home. He'll probably kill someone just so he can go back. The way he'll see it, at least in prison he has food and a roof over his head.
Kris
f course he deserves this sentence, he has taken the lives of innocent people, not only killing people but leaving families behind to try and cope with the aftermath.Why should he be allowed out to live freely when he has taken that away from good people who were just living their lives?
Heide & Helmut from Germany
We(German tourists 1945/48)are going to stay in NZ for 5 months starting Nov 07, that's why we read this newspaper regurlarly since half a year. We're glad , that Burton got this sentence, because he intended, that he will be that violent in future in unnecessary cases like the incident with Mr Kuchenbaker. You can't feel safe in a country, which used to be a former paradise compared to the rest of the world, with people like Burton. That might be his personal bad luck, but fair for the rest of mankind! It was his decision to act like this, so he has to take the consequences.What about the rapers with the Dutch honeymooners?
Macca
I agree with the sentiments below. Why should we the law abiding taxpayers be burdened with his incarceration costs? This guy has shown he has no remorse, or hope of rehabilitation. He adds no value this world and has revoked any and all rights he may have had. They should have executed him immediately after he was convicted, then sent the invoice for the bullet and the cardboard coffin to his family. He is an affront to humanity and should be removed from society...permanently.
Damian
I believe an eye for a eye he shouldnt be given the right to stay alive.
Martin Kietzmann
He's lucky there isn't a death penalty, which he deserves.
Carolyn
As far as I am concerned he should have been given 50 years then if he ever got out again he would be too old to do it again.
Peter
I don't mind to keep this guy in the prison rather than the death penalty. However, the issue is whether someone in the justice system to guarantee us that he would not re-offend when he is out? If not, better keep him there longer. Our society actually is too kind to those serious offences, it tries to put the matching name to offences but doesn't match the sentence to such crimes. Long non-parole period is needed urgently. The other idea is that why they can not do labour or some sort of work to earn their living by themselves like most ours did in our community. Instead, we did our job and pay their living to redeem their sins.
David
This man has taken a life in a most heinous way. He is evil. Why a wheel chair to give him dignity? A pair of crutches that he must make himself if he wishes to be mobile. He should earn by hard labour every meal, every piece of medical care, be deprived of education and rehabilitation until has served sufficient time to give him an idea of the gravity of what he has done. A totally innocent man is without dreams, a life, or the ability to be loved. It is perhaps a vain hope, but I hope he becomes haunted by what he has done. As for the cost, annul his pension and any claim to ACC or free medical care. Perhaps a permanent "do not resuscitate in any circumstances & no blood transfusions" tattooed on his chest would be a good place to start.
Matt
Why should Graeme Burton ever be released from prison? I don't want him living next to me in 2033 whether he is 62 years old or not. He has completely and utterly revoked his right to all society and should die in prison.
Matthew Poole
Despite agreeing that Burton is a poster child for capital punishment, it's a far worse punishment to keep him alive and incarcerated. Remember that this is the man who admitted to being disappointed that the cops didn't kill him. As for those who think that life should mean life, in his case it quite likely will. He's incredibly unlikely to convince any future parole board that he's been rehabilitated. In 26 years time, in the fairly unlikely event that he's still alive (he's a prime candidate for suicide, or being taken out by some other prisoner), he's going to have to get a parole board to believe that he has completely reformed after having been given a previous chance and blown it.
Peter Smith
I believe that Burton should never be released from prison, the nature of his crimes and the fact that he is obviously a psychopath leads me to believe that he will be a danger to everyone for the rest of his life. This is highlighted by the fact despite being in a wheel chair is still causing problems in prison. Its about time that innocent members of the public were protected for ever from people such as Burton, a no parole ever should be available. Enough is Enough.
Joan Allsop
In cases like this I would like to see a life sentence meaning life in prison .ie; no release.
Neil Ritchie
Yes, he deserves the sentence.
Dan Brown
If ever there was a case for the death penalty then this is it. It's not very PC to say but when the Police caught up with him they should of finished him off. All he is going to do now is contribute to prison overcrowding and be a burden on the system for the next 30 odd years before he dies, which hopefully is sooner rather than later.
Lars
The death penalty would have been more appropriate as we as taxpayers now have to fork out over $150K every year for the next 26 years to keep this scumbag comfortable and safe in jail. That works out at about $4 million of taxpayers money. Maybe the officer who shot him in the leg would have been better off shooting him in the head! I hope the scumbag rots in prison and doesnt ever get to experience freedom again because he doesnt deserve it.
Tom
Burton should remain in prison and never be released.
He has contributed nothing in his lifetime to the good of society and is clearly beyond redemption.
Tim Spooner
If ever there was a poster boy for the death sentence, this guy is it!! Here's a few hints for Corrections: 1. Give him several short ropes, belts etc. Ensure his cell has a beam from which to hang them and s stool for him to stand on/ or 2. Put him in the general population at jail and based on past experience, he will pick on the wrong guys to fight with. Leave them with him for 10 minutes orR 3. Allow him to escape and ensure AOS are ready with the safety off!!
Alan
Such a pity we don't have capital punishment in this country. He would be a prime candidate for hanging!
Ron
He should never be allowed out of jail.
Steph
Someone like him should have received preventative detention at least. It's people like him that make me wish we still had the death penalty as this is what he has said he wants anyway.
Matt
26 Years? Is that all? Doesn't that mean he will be free to kill again before he's dead? No...no...no This is all wrong. He needs life imprisonment. Never to have the chance to hurt or kill anybody again. And when I say life, I mean life. None of this 26 Years business. I think we need to take a long hard look at our justice system.
Richard
He deserves to be exterminated.
Dolly
Does he deserve this sentence - what a stupid question! He has been dealt with mercifully.
Stacey
Yes we think he does disserve this sentence. A frightening and cold individual such as he needs to pay for what he has done and obviously prison doesn't scare him. Release him when hes old and grey and cant do any more harm.
Chris
Excellent sentence; possibly non parole period should have been longer. Much better than having a death penalty as each day when he wakes up it will remind him of what he is and what he has done... and will always hear the jangle of keys and prison life. One couldn't wish for a better outcome for an individual like that.
Amy Mackenzie
Definitely a bullet to end his life like he has so many other people would be more appropriate.