June 27, 2021
OPINION: The good intentions of the Sexual Violence Bill will see more Maori men guilty of rape
Martyn 'Bomber' Bradbury: The desire to see justice for victims of sexual assault has eclipsed the need for a fair justice system.
The proposed changes to the law would see those accused of sexual assault lose their right to silence and remove any defence.
To justify gerrymandering the law to gain more convictions, the Green Party use questionable statistics claiming only 1% of sexual assaults get successfully prosecuted when in fact the number is 43% for sexual violation and 42% for attempted sexual violation.
Because Māori are poorer, Defense Lawyers are warning they will fall foul of these new rules regardless of their innocence.
The fact Labour and the Greens are the ones pushing these changes through means Māori men become the sacrificial bargaining chip in a fight for victims of sexual assault.
The best DNA science from America tells us that for every 100 convicted of sexual crimes, 11 are wrongfully convicted.
An 11% wrongful conviction rate is concerning enough, add to that the changes the Greens and Labour want to make, and anyone accused of sexual assault is likely to be found guilty regardless of their innocence.
Māori men are the ones who will feel this injustice most keenly. Why are they so expendable in this legal experiment?
Martyn Bradbury
Editor – TheDailyBlog.nz
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