Chief Justice Sir Ronald Davison is our New Zealander of the Year for the uncompromising sentence of 10 years in jail handed down to the two captured Rainbow Warrior bombers Alain Mafart and Dominque Prieur.
The pair had been part of the team of French agents who slipped into the country and bombed the Greenpeace flagship - which was about to join protests against French nuclear testing in the Pacific - killing crew member Fernando Pereira.
The defence pleaded they should be deported, arguing they had played only support roles and were just following orders. But these arguments cut no ice with Justice Davison.
"This was a deliberate, planned operation of a terrorist nature, carried out for political and ideological motives, using explosives in circumstances where there was a high risk of injury and possibly loss of life, and where heavy damage was caused to the vessel involved," he said.
"The sentence imposed must give a clear warning to such as the defendants and their masters that terrorist-type activities will be met with a stern reaction and severe punishment.
