Greg King Memorial Lecture

28 September 2015

The Justice Hot Tub, in association with Victoria University, are proud to announce the inaugural Greg King Memorial Lecture, to be held at Victoria University Law School onWednesday 30 September.

The organizers are hoping that the event will become an annual “must attend” event for anyone with an interest in the criminal law and victims’ rights.
The inaugural lecture is entitled “Three strikes – five years on”, and is to be given by Professor Warren Brookbanks of Auckland University Law School.

“I asked Warren to give the inaugural lecture on ‘three strikes’ for several reasons. Firstly, his is a well qualified and credible voice, and Warren can by no stretch be seen as a mouthpiece for the Sensible Sentencing Trust” said event organizer David Garrett.

“Secondly, Greg King was – like Warren – opposed to the three strikes legislation when it was enacted five years ago. I believe Greg was somewhat altering his view of it prior to his tragic death. I will be very interested to hear Warren’s take on how the law is working five years on. If Greg was still with us, I know he would be too” Garrett said

“While Greg was best known as being a high profile criminal defence lawyer, his involvement with victims’ rights groups was less well known” said Sensible Sentencing Trust founder Garth McVicar.

“I first met Greg when he attended a victims conference organized by the Sensible Sentencing Trust. At that event, Greg knew he would be coming face to face with the victims of some of those he had defended. I thought that showed incredible courage” said Garrett

“One of those victims was Gil Elliot, the father of Sophie Elliot, who was brutally murdered by Clayton Weatherston. Greg was one of Weatherston’s defence counsel. That notwithstanding, Gil and Greg went on to become firm friends, and both men later became members of the Justice Hot Tub, a forum set up to explore ways of improving the law and better caring for victims” McVicar said.

“Greg King was a fantastic human being. We sincerely hope he can be remembered every year by a lecture in his name given by someone who commands the same level of respect as Greg himself did” said Garrett.

ENDS

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