SENSIBLE SENTENCING TRUST CONGRATULATES JUSTICE TOOGOOD

14th March 2017

“Sentencing Stephen Roger Williams to 10 years’ imprisonment and preventative detention is finally a step in the right direction and shows the message may just be getting through that the public have had enough”. Guthrie

Sensible Sentencing Trust’s Manawatu spokesperson Scott Guthrie has today congratulated Justice Kit Toogood for the stance and approach he took when sentencing Williams, the murderer of Coral Burrows, to a further 10 years’ imprisonment for the attempted murder of a fellow inmate. Justice Toogood added he wished Williams had been sentenced with this approach when he murdered Coral Burrows.

Crown Prosecutor Scott McColgan revealed in court today that Williams has ninety seven previous convictions. McColgan said there were eight aggravating factors to the offending, also adding that in an interview with Police Williams stated "prison is not a deterrent for me and should I ever be released I am likely to go on and hurt more people”.

“Preventive detention is necessary for offenders like Williams. These types of offenders pose a serious threat of imminent danger to others and need to be detained for life if necessary”. Guthrie

The seriousness of the harm caused to the community by his offending is significant and has escalated since he has in prison. This was a sustained and ferocious attack on the victim that was only stopped by the intervention of Department of Corrections staff.

Sensible Sentencing Trust hopes that all Judges take a leaf out Justice Toogood’s book and start using the law to the full extent as the public expect them to. END

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/crime/news/article.cfm?c_id=30&objectid=11817366

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