Cheating justice

By EUGENE BINGHAM and JAMES GARDINER

Last year 12,282 criminals offered their victims $13.2 million to help put right their offending. Many won reduced prison terms as a result. But this growing trend sees more than half of those ordered to pay for their crimes fail to do so in the first year.

* While victims wait, three-quarters of criminals ordered to pay reparation have to be pursued with further court orders to try to win the money.

* About 15 per cent are eventually let off paying.

* In cases where money is not paid, justice officials tell their minister, Phil Goff, that often they "can't get blood out of a stone".

* The cash offer after the killing of 4-year-old Georgia McCarten-Graham was not rare. Last year 17 per cent of such driving causing death or injury cases resulted in the reparation order.

* The law says judges must keep considering reduced jail terms when reparation is ordered.

* Even violent and horrific sex criminals can get time off by making a reparation offer.

* A 55-year-old man who repeatedly abused and raped two children aged six and eight had his jail term reduced by two years to take account of the $30,000 he paid to his victims.

* A Courts Department crackdown is under way for the $23 million owed that is in arrears. New powers allow property to be seized and sold.

* Victims' advocates say the system should be reversed: criminals should not get less jail time if they offer to pay, they should get more time if they don't offer to pay.

The power of money:

* A man who bashed his former de facto wife and was strangling her when police arrived was sent to prison for 10 years and ordered to pay his victim $10,000. The reparation order pushed the jail term down from 12 years. (June 2003)

* A fraudster looking at two years in prison was given a third off when he agreed to pay $40,000 reparation. (June 2002)

* A 30-year-old man ran up fraud convictions in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001, managing to avoid prison sentences by promising to pay reparation to his victims. By the time he was convicted again this year, he still owed his victims $10,000. He had been paying them off at less than $20 a week. (February 2003)

* A woman had her prison sentence of two years, three months for fraud reduced to 18 months with an order to pay $1600 reparation in instalments of $15 a week. (February 2003)

* Former Mr Asia syndicate kingpin Darryl Leigh Sorby, 52, paid $50,000 to a man he bashed in a pub brawl in Motueka six years ago and had his jail sentence reduced to nine months. (June 2003)

Cheating justice: Crime victims left waiting for their $47m

Cheating justice: Reparation isn't the same as making amends

Cheating justice: Rapist's payment potential timebomb

Cheating justice: $40,000 offer over little girl's death led to outcry

Cheating justice: Fraudster dodges $50,000 payback