Posts by ScottY

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  • Hard News: A Strange Surprise,

    What if Sophie's dad had come in the room, found his dead daughter and then killed Weatherston? No more provocation for him! Think about it. I haven't.

    We don't have mandatory life sentences for murder any more. Had the event you described occurred and the father been found guilty of murder, a judge may well have imposed a light sentence. We'll never know.

    And you can get life for manslaughter. That's the funny thing about the Weatherston case. The judge may have come down hard on him even if his partial defence had succeeded.

    West • Since Feb 2009 • 794 posts Report

  • Hard News: A Strange Surprise,

    ummm..so would it then be OK in that instance to just slap her round a bit as maybe clayton shoulda done...if that were the case ?

    No.

    Sorry, but advocating domestic violence, even in jest, isn't very funny.

    West • Since Feb 2009 • 794 posts Report

  • Hard News: A Strange Surprise,

    It's true that the Weatherston case brought the partial defence of provocation to the fore, but it's not as if the matter hadn't been debated before then.

    The law was changed in a rush, but that doesn't mean the change is a bad one. The Law Commission report offers some pretty compelling reasons to do away with the partial defence.

    Anyway, people will make their own minds up whether it's a good or bad thing.

    West • Since Feb 2009 • 794 posts Report

  • Hard News: The March for Democracy,

    Once again its evident here on PA most bloggers are radical minority vocalists & along with mainstream media aren't interested in consensus.

    And it's evident (once again) that you're trolling. Go away.

    West • Since Feb 2009 • 794 posts Report

  • Hard News: So-called celebrity justice,

    Lawyers here can probably elaborate or point to suitable references.

    Worms. Can of.

    Some people on this thread appear to think that because the extent to which name suppression laws apply to the internet is uncertain, it's time for PAS to be the test case.

    My advice to anyone who wants to test the law is as follows: set your own blog up, publish details of the Wellington entertainer, and then see what happens. Imagine the excitement of not knowing whether you'll be ignored, fined or jailed.

    Please don't test the law on other peoples' sites.

    West • Since Feb 2009 • 794 posts Report

  • Hard News: So-called celebrity justice,

    The major issue with the current law is the lack of clear guidelines available to judges. The principles outlined in ss139-141 of the Criiminal Justice Act 1985 are far too broad and don't give much guidance to judges. That was highlighted by the recent Law Commisson report.

    As for celebrities, there's certainly a public perception they get a better deal. And perhaps they do - if only because they can usually afford decent legal representation.

    Being named and shamed can be every bit as devastating for a non-celebrity. The naming of a person convicted or accused of an offence has the potential to destroy that person's career and personal relationships. A celebrity caught out can at least sell his/her story to the media, and shed some tears for the camera. Infamy sells.

    The law ought to be clearer. Name supression should only be given in truly exceptional cases (e.g. to protect victims of crime). The Law Commission is of the view that the lower courts are inconsistent as to when they grant suppression orders, and I find it hard to argue with that finding.

    West • Since Feb 2009 • 794 posts Report

  • Hard News: The March for Democracy,

    There are unanswered questions about 911, but it's still fairly obvious what sent the towers crashing down.

    Any official report into how something so terrible could have happened, and why it wasn't stopped, was always going to suffer from obfuscation and lying by officials trying to save their arses. Because the true story would reveal an official incompetence so breathtaking it would horrify the entire nation and destroy careers.

    But that appears to be all the “truthers” need to create a grand conspiracy.

    West • Since Feb 2009 • 794 posts Report

  • Hard News: The March for Democracy,

    Garth McVicar is one of the most respected people in NZ & his work with the Sensible Sentencing Trust has achieved a lot for ALL New Zealanders in tackling crime.

    All New Zealanders? So what has he achieved for me? Are the streets any safer? Is crime down? Has anything the SST advocated worked anywhere? Thought not.

    The problem with Gage's theory

    Never mind the conspiracy problem. The other problem is that his so-called evidence has been widely debunked.

    Anyway, you're right not to go on. Gage supporters have been all over teh interwebs this week, and these comments will have been a siren call to them.

    West • Since Feb 2009 • 794 posts Report

  • Hard News: Truth to Power, etc,

    Meanwhile CK lashes out at Russell's "ego".

    West • Since Feb 2009 • 794 posts Report

  • Hard News: Truth to Power, etc,

    These days its the fifth estate, the blogs who are riding the white chargers of truth.

    A disturbing image. And I suspect the vast majority of those "chargers" wouldn't be fit for glue.

    West • Since Feb 2009 • 794 posts Report

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