'Bail laws stole our daughter'

Tracey and Brian Marceau's daughter Christie Marceau was stabbed to death at their family home, allegedly by a man bailed on a charge of kidnapping her. Photo / Sarah Ivey

The parents of a teenager killed in her Auckland home are starting a campaign to toughen New Zealand's bail laws.

Christie Marceau, 18, died on November 7 in her mother's arms after a violent attack at the family's North Shore home. The man charged with her murder, 19-year-old Akshay Anand Chand, was on bail at the time.

Christie's father, Brian, told the Weekend Herald: "The bail laws have directly stolen our daughter from us. Tracey and I will start here to see if change can be brought about. To ensure, in our minds, that Christie didn't die in vain."

Tracey Marceau added: "We've got to do this for Christie. Brian and I will push for this. It won't bring Christie back but hopefully it will save other people."

The Marceaus want several law changes, including tightening of criteria for granting bail to people charged with serious offences, giving more power and weight to police and victim statements opposing bail and enforcing more rigorous risk assessment testing for offenders.

They also want victims to be given full details of their alleged attacker's bail conditions.

The Marceaus said they were not told anything about Chand's bail and found out only after she died.

Chand allegedly kidnapped Christie on September 7. He appeared in court and was remanded in custody.

On October 5, after several hearings, Chand was granted bail with strict conditions. He was not to contact Christie or go to her house, he was to live with his mother 1km from the Marceaus, he was not to leave the house unless going to medical or legal appointments accompanied by one of two court-specified adults.

But despite those conditions, Chand allegedly went to the Marceau house just before 7am one month ago and killed Christie.

Christie's parents believe their daughter would still be alive if bail laws were tougher.

Mr Marceau said the "Christie's Law" campaign would be part of a healing process for him and his wife.

The couple say they will never recover from losing Christie and feel their family is broken beyond repair. But they say they owe it to their daughter to fight for her - and others like her.

Mrs Marceau said: "Everyone in New Zealand needs to know what they've missed out on with Christie.

"She had a lot of good in her and the potential to do a lot for people. Now that's all gone. She liked to help people and she always put others ahead of herself. I'm afraid this country can't afford to lose the good people like Christie."

The campaign will not start until after the court case related to Christie's death.

In the meantime, the Marceaus have spent time with other families who have lost loved ones in similar circumstances.

Their campaign has the support of the Sensible Sentencing Trust. Its director, Garth McVicar, said Christie needed to be the catalyst for change.

"Other families have lost loved ones but Christie's the straw that broke the camel's back."

Mr McVicar said bail laws favoured the accused rather than the victim.

"We have a criminal-friendly legal process rather than a justice system. That has to change. We all have the right to live in safety. These people have been failed by the system. It is unbearable from their perspective.

He said the campaign was in its early stages and the group would work with lawyers to finalise the details.

Before the election, the Government proposed amendments to the Bail Act which would make it harder to get bail. The changes are expected to go before Parliament early next year.

The Christie's Law campaign will pressure MPs to make the changes.

Mrs Marceau said: "We need the community, the country to get behind us."

HOW TO HELP

Donate to the Christie's Law Trust at Westpac, account number 03-0275-0644809-00.