Un Fucking Believable!

[Headbanger]

Anyone near the beehive at the moment?

Anychance they could swing by and give Helen a couple good hard punches to the face?

Just top let her know, how fuckin unimpressed we are.

And wtf is with the constant killings over the last couple of weeks?

[DingoZ]

Why the fuck should the public have to have a fuckin' "pass the hat"??
The retarded gubbinment made the stupid rules. She shouldn't pay a cent!
Much the same as schools having to have "donations" to keep the school running because the treasury drip-feeds sod all funding to them!
Luckily cullens' budget surplus is growing for the big 2008 vote-buying extravaganza.

Was not meaning to imply that it should be the case.... I think the family in question should not have been asked to pay in the first place. A "Pass the Hat" situation, has helped hundreds of families in times of crisis and in times of heartache. Fire. flood. Famine etc.. Just think this qualifies as a good enough reason to give. And if done in a loud enough manner, maybe it might make a statement....

Victimise the victim again??

WTF is wrong with this picture?
If there are costs incurred as a result of someone's illegal actions then the costs should be borne by the perp, not the victim.

This is just wrong on every level. That family has suffered enough already.

Makes me ashamed to be Kiwi.

Agreed....

[rphenix]

So what happens if they dont pay exactly? Debt collectors?

[RT527]

So what happens if they dont pay exactly? Debt collectors?

love to see them collect with about 200 kiwibikers standing behind the Family ...hahahaha

[DingoZ]

Clipped from New Article
:
Justice Minister Annette King is alarmed the Legal Services Agency has asked the widow of a man murdered by Graeme Burton has been asked to pay $19,000 for the inquest into his death.

"If the legal aid system is producing this sort of result for victims, it has to be changed urgently," Ms King said.

"I have already spoken to the Secretary for Justice and asked for an urgent report that will examine what changes are needed to ensure victims are treated in a caring and compassionate way."

Karl Kuchenbecker was shot by Burton while quad biking in the Wainuiomata Hills on January 6.

His former partner was involved in a four-day inquest in November and was granted legal aid.


Legal Services Agency manager of legal aid grants Robyn Nicholas told the Dominion Post the $19,000 figure was a theoretical maximum and the true amount would likely be less.

The woman, who is on the domestic purposes benefit to support the couple's two sons, has been encouraged to apply for a writeoff when the case ends and her payments have been suspended for six months to allow this.

She told the newspaper regardless of whether the bill was wiped, it was a shock to be asked to pay it at all.

Burton was shot in the leg during his arrest and received about $40,000 worth of medical care for an amputation and prosthetic leg at the taxpayer's expense.

Mr Kuchenbecker's father Paul said it was astounding victims were being asked to pay while criminals often got a free ride.

"Victims do need to be represented. It's not their fault they're in the bloody inquest," he said.

Lawyer for the family Nikki Pender said it was important to honour the Victims Rights Act.

"It says you're entitled to legal services. It doesn't read you should be entitled to a loan to pay for your legal services."

Ms King said a Select Commitee recently presented the Government with a report on victim's rights.

"The Government is required to respond within three months. Work is already underway to address the recommendations within the report, and this includes work on legal aid for victims of crime.

"I am determined that 2008 will be the year in which victim's rights are properly addressed."

[ynot slow]

Nice farken system we have,victims have to pay for home,insurances,car clothing,education and power, food,the perpertrator gets all this free,why the hell couldn't the cop do the right thing.Oh not to mentio immediate hospital treatment and ability to recieve payment for injury according to wording of ACC act.

Remember which political party is in charge people,and no I am not a staunch National voter,been known to vote Act,Social Credit as well as National,never voted Labour though.And won't.

[Grahameeboy]

Bit much granting the legal aid in the first place and then asking for it back.

I am sure that commonsense will prevail in this one.

[HenryDorsetCase]

There's no justice like angry mob justice, huh?

Let me put an opposing view: (regardless of my personal opinion)

When someone signs up for any form of legal aid, it is made very very clear to them that the legal aid they receive is a loan to them to enable them to take part in whatever legal proceedings they are unable to fund themselves. So the fact they receive a bill, and that the bill is a loan which requires security (usually by way of a registered charge over their house) WILL NOT be a surprise to these people.

That they chose to go public is also perhaps not surprising.

That it is an election year and this has hit all the news outlets on a day when some scumbag was arrested for the murder of a 22yo shop assistant, working in a family business, will not have escaped the Trotsky-ites that run Helengrad.

You can be almost certain that they will never have to pay this bill. What that doesn't help is the literally thousands of other less high profile and maybe less deserving cases that dont get this publicity.

Oh, you say, $19000 for four days work? that lawyer must be rolling in it. Not necessarily. Legal aid work is almost without exception done by people looking for the experience, or who can't get other better paying work. the rates are risible, and not only that you have to spend just as much money fighting the legal aid people to get approval to do the work than doing the work. And that $19000 probably represented four or five months work. And I bet that if whoever it was, if billing the thing properly, (not on legal aid) the bill would be considerably more. I tell clients that they should expect their costs to work out at around $10k/day for every day at court. More if there is a QC or huge money involved.

So, you say, its an injustice. Something must be done.

Well you get to have your say this year. Choose wisely.

[HenryDorsetCase]

I am quite sure (though I have not researched it) that Mr Burton's status as a serving prisoner disentitles him to ACC compensation for his injury. IIRC the law was changed when the burglar who fell out the window made a claim a few years ago.

Also, he is serving a sentence of preventative detention, again, IIRC, so there isnt much prospect of him having any payments soon.

No one has asked the question yet, so I will:

"Why did the victims family need to be lawyered up at the Coroner's inquest?"

[HenryDorsetCase]

Annette King........

"I am determined that 2008 will be the year in which victim's rights are properly addressed."

what she meant to say was "IN an election year we can't have this sort of shit going down, and the publics sympathy will be for this woman so no way is she going to have to pay and I will look great and magnanimous, even though there is a mechanism in place, and it seems even a process in train whereby this woman will never be asked to pay $19000 or anything like it."

anyone else sick of this smell?

Politicians = Loathsome scum. No exceptions

[Manxman]

deleted...same points already made.

[Manxman]

what she meant to say was "IN an election year we can't have this sort of shit going down, and the publics sympathy will be for this woman so no way is she going to have to pay and I will look great and magnanimous, even though there is a mechanism in place, and it seems even a process in train whereby this woman will never be asked to pay $19000 or anything like it."

anyone else sick of this smell?

Politicians = Loathsome scum. No exceptions

...what he said.

[Ixion]

I am quite sure (though I have not researched it) that Mr Burton's status as a serving prisoner disentitles him to ACC compensation for his injury. IIRC the law was changed when the burglar who fell out the window made a claim a few years ago.

Also, he is serving a sentence of preventative detention, again, IIRC, so there isnt much prospect of him having any payments soon.

No one has asked the question yet, so I will:

"Why did the victims family need to be lawyered up at the Coroner's inquest?"

Nobody may receive entitlements while in prison. But Burton was not, nor had he escaped. The ACC may apply to the courts for a direction that they may not provide any entitlements, where to do so would be repugnant to natural justice. (Injury etc Compensation Act 2001 SS 121 122) . Whether the ACC have ever made such an application I do not know.

As to the family being "lawyered up": the reality is that the person of trial was Mr Kuchenbecker. To make provision for protection of his reputation etc is , alas, pretty much essential. That is not the theory of it, nor is it how it should be, but it is the reality.

Justice is New Zealand is an entriely saleable commodity. It is auctioned off to whoever has the deepest pockets.

[the mouse]

Certainly have to feel sorry for these victims. Look out for another dip into the "coffers" to pay for the upkeep of the little shit who murdered the young man in the dairy. F##K Em, bring back the guillotinne.

Condolences to Naidu family and people who witnessed this terrible incident.

[doc]

No one has asked the question yet, so I will:

"Why did the victims family need to be lawyered up at the Coroner's inquest?"

I can"t understand this either, what"s happening here ?