Tuesday, 1 March 2005
Alexander: Lesser jail term rewards killer
Killer Hori Ritchie Slade's reduced sentence has no place in a true justice system, United Future law and order
spokesman Marc Alexander said today.
Speaking after the Court of Appeal cut Slade's original 17-year sentence to 10-years yesterday, citing his youth and
poor upbringing as factors, Mr Alexander said there was only one over-riding concern: "Is Slade's victim, Richard
Harcombe, any less dead because one of his killers was young and brought up by a terrible family?"
"Until courts start from that point, we will not have true justice attached to violent crime.
"None of the factors the court cited yesterday will be on any consolation to Mr Harcombe's family. None of them give him
his life back, therefore none of them should be used to lighten the punishment on a killer," he said.
ENDS