NZ POLICE v B Major fraud sentencing where amount involved was over $450,000.00. No monies recovered from client or reparation orders made. I obtained specialist psychological reports which detailed several issues leading to offending. From a starting point of four years’ imprisonment the judge imposed an end sentence of 3 years imprisonment given these special…
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS v A (July 2016) This was an application by Corrections in the High Court to impose an extended supervision order (ESO) for up to 10 years on my client who had recently completed a lengthy term of imprisonment for sexual offences. The issues involved statutory interpretation of the applicable provisions of the…
My client has now been sentenced for murder after we could not quite get the jury to agree that he was not guilty by reason of insanity. The defence had sought to argue that the defendant was so affected by both his psychosis and his autism that he should have been held insane. This was,…
My client had served the full sentence of 10 years imprisonment on a number of sexual offences (which he had always disputed). On release from that sentence. Corrections sought an extended supervision order that would have lasted a further 10 years if successful. However, the?judge agreed that client did not currently display any of the…
POLICE v VL ? Successful application for discharge without conviction for a charge of burglary of commercial premises with some damage done to building and $10,000 worth of items taken (but recovered). Impact on future career and travel and efforts to make amends and reparation led court to grant the application for a discharge without…
THE QUEEN v AA class A drug supplies sentence. Serious methamphetamine supplies to undercover officer and numerous others in small amounts. Prior drug-related convictions. Spent some time in custody before being granted bail to attend rehab program. Completed that successfully. Pleaded guilty just before trial. From a start point of four years’ imprisonment it was…
POLICE v TM ?Sentencing. Guilty plea to charge of wounding with intent to commit GBH. A drunken argument at function in home led to defendant overreacting to an assault resulting in him biting through the cheek of the victim leaving a severe disfigurement. Starting point of prison but with willingness to make amends a sentence…
The defendant pleaded guilty to stabbing a fellow prison inmate for the second time within approximately one year and was sentenced on 30 October 2015. He had an appalling record for violent offences including aggravated robberies and other assaults. The Crown were seeking preventive detention. I encouraged the defendant to take up courses to assist…
BAIL VARIATION ? Most often in domestic violence cases when the defendant is arrested and bought to court then bailed, the court imposes a blanket provision that the defendant is not allowed to contact the complainant. Although this often is appropriate, the court tends to impose it as a bail condition without considering the facts….
WS v NZ POLICE ? Successful appeal against district court judge?s refusal to grant s.94 application (to be not further disqualified). My client, whilst his licence was suspended, drove a vehicle from his friends place to his place in the afternoon at a distance of about a kilometre. As it was his third time of…
