Justice should be openly served

For a process that is steeped in tradition, formality and time-honoured rituals, there's nothing quite like a controversial court case to evoke strong emotions.

Recently, two of this country's more prominent cases reached their conclusions, sealing the fate of two men who have become public figures under very different circumstances.

Yesterday, the Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal by Clayton Weatherston, the former Otago University tutor who murdered 22-year-old Sophie Elliott in January 2008, stabbing and cutting her more than 200 times, but claiming the killing was manslaughter due to provocation.

Weatherston's first appeal was dismissed by the Court of Appeal in June.

Some, such as Miss Elliott's parents, have queried if Weatherston should even have been allowed to make a Supreme Court appeal.

Despite the Elliott family's horrendous loss, Weatherston has every right to pursue whatever judicial processes are open to him, provided he has both the will and the means.

Nevertheless, there will be few who grieve over yesterday's decision.

Weatherston became publicly vilified largely through his behaviour and claims of self-justification while on trial.

Newspaper reports and television images meant his character was exposed to the nation, and the nation largely disapproved in the most venomous of fashions.

There's been a similar outcry in recent days over the name suppression surrounding the well-known comedian who admitted performing an indecent act on his daughter.

The name suppression issue is something of a red herring - by law, victims of sexual offending have their identities suppressed, and if revealing an offender's name presents a risk of uncovering his or her victim's identity, the offender's name will also remain suppressed. It's an unfortunate situation.

The victim's rights must always come first, but in preserving those rights, it allows the offender to escape the public scrutiny that for years has been a cornerstone of our justice system, and has underpinned the saying that justice must not only be done, it must also be seen to be done.

In the case of the comedian, he will now be able to forever hide his identity behind name suppression.

In the case of Weatherston, it can only be hoped that having exhausted his legal options, he too now fades away.

For a man who seemed to take narcissism to new heights, anonymity may be the greatest punishment of all.

Feedback: editor@wanganuichronicle.co.nz.