Media release
25 January 2008

Barnardos welcomes court decision

'Another court case, another sensible decision,' Murray Edridge, Chief Executive of Barnardos NZ said today when commenting on the decision to discharge without conviction the Christchurch church leader who admitted beating his niece.

'Again the new section 59 of the Crimes Act has been shown to offer courts the necessary flexibility and discretion to enable sensible judgments while upholding the child's right to legal protection from inflicted physical punishment,' he said.

'Yet another court decision has shown that the dire and alarmist predictions of opponents of the law change are wrong.'

'In this last court case the judge has stated in forthright terms that the law now condemns such acts of violence against children and young people, refused a request for name suppression, imposed a substantial financial penalty, but tempered his judgment by discharging without conviction, because of the implications of a conviction on the man and his family. Justice has been done and has been seen to be done.'

'As a nation committed to better outcomes for children, we can all take some encouragement from this judgement' he concluded.

ENDS

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