Wednesday, 29 November 2023
WhakataneTaurangaRotoruaTaupo
NZ HeraldThe Northern AdvocateThe Northland AgeThe AucklanderWaikato HeraldBay Of Plenty TimesRotorua Daily PostHawke's Bay TodayWhanganui ChronicleThe Stratford PressManawatu GuardianKapiti NewsHorowhenua ChronicleTe Awamutu CourierVivaEat WellOneRoofDRIVEN Car GuideThe CountryPhoto SalesiHeart RadioRestaurant Hub
Voyager 2023 media awards
Subscribe

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

National calls for inquiry into Crown's handling of teen rapist Jayden Meyer's sentencing

Tara Shaskey
By
Tara Shaskey
Open Justice multimedia journalist, Taranaki
21 Oct, 2022 01:58 AM5 mins to read
Saveshare

Share this article

facebookcopy linktwitterlinkedinredditemail
Jayden Meyer was sentenced to home detention for the rape of four 15-year-old girls and the sexual violation of another. Photo / Ethan Griffiths

Jayden Meyer was sentenced to home detention for the rape of four 15-year-old girls and the sexual violation of another. Photo / Ethan Griffiths

National is calling on Justice Minister Kiri Allan to launch an inquiry into the Crown's handling of the Jayden Meyer rape case and its implications.

Allan meanwhile says it is "not appropriate" for her as minister to comment on decisions made by the courts, though she said generally there were issues with the way sexual violence was managed in criminal law.

The call comes days after the Crown failed in its bid to throw out Meyer's home detention sentence and replace it with prison time.

"The Crown failed this week in its appeal of the sentence of nine months' home detention, following Meyer's conviction on four counts of rape," National's justice spokesman, Paul Goldsmith, said in a statement today.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

"Most New Zealanders are incensed by what the High Court called a 'manifestly inadequate' sentence for such serious crimes and the message it sends to victims of such crimes."

Goldsmith said the inquiry should consider a number of factors including why the Crown missed the deadline for appeal, and why a term of imprisonment was not initially sought by the Crown.

It should also consider whether the sentencing regime gives too much scope for judges to reduce sentences, he said.

"It's fair to ask if a system that allows a judge to take what was generally agreed to be a crime that warranted an eight-year prison sentence down to nine months' home detention is fundamentally too loose.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

"Confidence in the justice system is one of the most precious things in our democracy. The Minister should move swiftly to reassure New Zealanders following this outcome."

The home detention sentence sparked protests. Photo / Andrew Warner
The home detention sentence sparked protests. Photo / Andrew Warner

Allan said she would not comment on the court decision nor call for an inquiry as the justice system needed to "undertake their work without political interference or influence".

Regarding an inquiry, she said the Solicitor General had responsibility for oversight and conduct of Crown prosecutions.

Generally, she said "difficulties, barriers or pain victims experience in seeking justice is really disappointing".

"Improving the justice system to ensure it is victim-centric is a significant priority for me."

She was currently considering sexual violence settings in the Crimes Act 1961, particularly those that directly impact children and young victims.

She expected advice from officials on how to improve the system in the next few months.

She also said the recently-passed Sexual Violence Legislation Act was due to take full effect in December.

"This will make changes to the parts of the court process that we know cause trauma in sexual violence cases.

"The new changes make sure that cases are based on relevant information rather than myths about sexual violence."

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

The Ministry of Justice was also working alongside the judiciary and legal profession to improve the experience of victims of sexual violence and their whānau in court, she said.

Open Justice revealed last month how the Tauranga teenager was sentenced to nine months' home detention for the rape of four 15-year-old girls and the sexual violation of another. He was 16 at the time of the offending.

The sentence drew the ire of the public, sparking numerous public protests.

Originally, both Crown prosecutor Anna Pollett and Meyer's lawyer Rachael Adams submitted that a sentence of home detention would be most appropriate - despite Pollett accepting imprisonment would be the ordinary sentence for this sort of offending; "and indeed one of many years".

Then last week Deputy Solicitor General Madeleine Laracy sought leave to appeal the sentence of home detention in favour of prison time, six weeks outside of the statutory window for appeal.

High Court Justice Sally Fitzgerald, who considered the application, released her decision on Wednesday, declining the bid for an appeal.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

She said with Meyer now attending a sexual violence rehabilitation programme, the logistics of managing this within prison would be difficult.

"Given the delay, Mr Meyer has served over a third of his sentence.

"I accordingly accept that to sentence Mr Meyer now to a sentence of imprisonment carries with it a real risk of undermining progress to date in rehabilitation, through his engagement in an appropriate youth sexual offending programme. This is a particularly important factor in my view."

While dismissing the application, Justice Fitzgerald gave a scathing review of how the case was handled.

She said it was an error of law for the sentencing to proceed as it did, describing the process as lacking transparency.

"Whether the end sentence is around three years' imprisonment as suggested by the Crown or somewhat higher for the reasons just given, the Judge's sentence of home detention was manifestly inadequate. The fact the Judge did not engage in an orthodox sentencing analysis obscures the reality of this conclusion.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

"Given the approach adopted by the Judge (which to be fair to him, was supported by the Crown), the sentencing exercise lacked transparency, which in turn undermines public confidence in the administration of justice."

Saveshare

Share this article

facebookcopy linktwitterlinkedinredditemail

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Rāhui on part of BoP river after death

28 Nov 01:09 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Film review: Napoleon

27 Nov 11:00 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Police officer's actions 'unjustified' in arrest after crash

27 Nov 10:26 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Taupō charity seeks ray of hope

27 Nov 09:00 PM

Top toys of 2023 for kids & ‘kidults’

sponsored

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rāhui on part of BoP river after death

Rāhui on part of BoP river after death

28 Nov 01:09 AM

All activity on a stretch of the Rangitaiki River is banned until December 9.

Film review: Napoleon

Film review: Napoleon

27 Nov 11:00 PM
Police officer's actions 'unjustified' in arrest after crash

Police officer's actions 'unjustified' in arrest after crash

27 Nov 10:26 PM
Taupō charity seeks ray of hope

Taupō charity seeks ray of hope

27 Nov 09:00 PM
Toy trends for Christmas
sponsored

Toy trends for Christmas

About UsHelp & SupportContact UsSubscribe to Rotorua Daily PostHouse Rules
Manage Your Print SubscriptionRotorua Daily Post E-EditionAdvertise with NZMEBook Your AdPrivacy Policy
Terms of UseCompetition Terms & ConditionsSubscriptions Terms & Conditions
© Copyright 2023 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP