“Elim Tekotahi Emery brutally beat his partner with a rock, stomped on her head, punched and kicked her, pulled her hair out, and gouged her eye, eventually causing her to miscarry – then he laughed. The only reason he must serve his full four-and-a-half-year sentence is because of the existence of the three strikes legislation," says Darroch Ball co-leader of Sensible Sentencing Trust.

“The Labour government has made it clear one of their priorities will be to repeal the three strikes legislation as soon as they can. This will mean violent, thug, wife-beaters like Emery will not be held to account for their actions, nor will there be any justice for their victims."

“Taking away ‘three strikes’ will inevitably only create more victims."

“Emery was given his second-strike warning because he had previously been in prison for repeatedly stabbing his former partner with a boning knife."

“Without the three strikes legislation, Emery would have been eligible for parole after serving just over a year in prison."

“Three strikes legislation is designed to keep these dangerous, violent, recidivist criminals off our streets, hold them to account for their actions, and bring some sort of justice for their victims."

“These kinds of cases make it clear why we must keep it in our laws," says Mr Ball.

“We cannot allow the Labour government to foolishly follow an ideological, offender-centric pathway and continue their plan to remove three strikes.”

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