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Wednesday 25 March 2015

Justice New Zealand Style



There is a very scary list of those New Zealanders who might well feel they have received a raw deal from our justice system, our police force in particular – and it goes back a long, long way.  Below are some of that list's more celebrated, some might say infamous, even notorious.

            Arthur Alan Thomas
            David Bain
            Scott Watson
            Peter Ellis
            Mark Lundy
            Teina Pora

There will be many more, though perhaps less noteworthy you might think in that they haven't had books written about them.

Sometimes the behavior of these felons is quite unexpected.  Take Peter Ellis for instance.  A harmless pre-school teacher you might think.   But when he applied for that job in Christchurch and the other workers said to him, `Oh Peter, we do so hope you’ll come and work here with us because you look like the kind of guy who would be thrilled to join us in our side-line of abusing the kids – don’t say No because it’s so much fun,’   in an instant he did so.  I mean, you have to ask yourself what kind of person he was underneath it all don’t you?    But I suppose that’s child molesters for you.

Then there are the murderers.  What is very odd about some of these offenders is the way they steadfastly declare their innocence throughout hour after tedious hour of police questioning and endless probing from friends and family.

`……No, I did not do it, I am innocent, completely innocent…..’   they maintain day after day, week after week.   In fact you would be almost tempted to believe them wouldn’t you? 
Through thick and thin they assure you that Truth Will Out. Eventually they will be believed….. `because I am one hundred per cent innocent of the heinous crime you accuse me of!’

Yet put them in a prison cell with a fellow who’s clocked up twenty five convictions before his twenty first birthday and that’s when the truth does actually emerge.   Quick as a flash in fact!

`……I know I’ve said for the past year and a half that I’m innocent but quite honestly mate, although I’ve known you for only an hour and a half I find I cannot lie to you.  There’s something about you…..Yes, I did it alright – slaughtered the lot of them!’

If the police teams had any sense they would have provided a cell mate in the first place if only to save time.  It's worth thinking about.

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