Monday, 14 February 2005

Alexander supports call on home detention lunacy

United Future's Marc Alexander, who has been supporting a woman brutally attacked by a man a day after he breached his home detention, has backed Sensible Sentencing Trust calls for the scheme to be ended for any offender with a violent background.

"It's simply lunacy - and the case of Carole Marfell illustrates that," he said.

Ms Marfell was brutally assaulted by Michael Desmond Coles just a day after he cut off his home detention ankle bracelet and fled. The same day he attacked Ms Marfell - September 1 last year - he was driving while disqualified and stole a car from a Christchurch car yard.

"And yet we continue to pat violent thugs on the head, think an ankle bracelet will hold them, and effectively leave society utterly at their mercy once again. What really saddens me is that this latest offending was so easily preventable.

"I would go so far as to call it criminal neglect by the Government, the Justice system and the Corrections Department," Mr Alexander said. Mr Alexander and his Christchurch office have been supporting Ms Marfell through her attacker's court case - he has been re-sentenced to paltry 31 months in prison - and the victim support and ACC processes.

ENDS

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