Hug-a-Thug Judge defies Logic
“The only question the Judge needed to answer was, ‘If Stephen Dudley hadn’t been assaulted would he be alive today”?
The obvious answer to that is yes, the only logical decision should have been a conviction," says Conservative Party
Justice Spokesperson Garth McVicar.
"The decision by Justice Helen Winkelman to grant a discharge without conviction against the person who confessed to the
fatal attack upon West Auckland school boy Stephen Dudley is a moral and legal outrage, and places our justice system
firmly in the centre of the twilight zone, where accountability is a dirty word, and personal responsibility an
unwelcome reality," says Mr McVicar.
“The Dudley family is mourning the loss of their son, and the attacker gets to walk away scot-free, all because a Judge
without any medical qualifications has decided that an acclaimed undisclosed heart condition, and not a beating,
contributed to Stephen Dudley’s death."
“While the Judge is satisfied that ‘the weight” of the crime sits heavily on the shoulders of the offender, the weight
of a lost child is one that crushes a parent – forever” said Mr McVicar.
“The message being sent to youth as a result of this outcome is very clear: you can assault someone, they can die as a
result of the assault, and some “hug-a-thug” Judge will find any and all minutia of “mitigating circumstances” on the
offenders behalf, and hey presto – a free ride right through the court system”.
“The reason this situation feels so unbelievable is because it IS unbelievable, as all events are when they are embedded
in the legal twilight zone that is our criminal justice system”.
“The only question the Judge needed to answer was, ‘If Stephen Dudley hadn’t been assaulted would he be alive today”?
The obvious answer to that is yes, the only logical decision should have been a conviction”.
“When the Conservative Party is successful on 20th September this year, I will be continuing to take steps to ensure
that victims, and not offenders, are the priority in the justice system, and that the Dudley family, and families like
them, are not deprived of the justice they are so desperately entitled to” said Mr McVicar.
ENDS