The Star: October 10, 2019

The Star Thursday October 10 2019
4
NEWS
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Victim’s online bid for justice
•From page 1
“There was a lot of hate and
then the post was deleted by
admin,” she said.
“In amongst the hate, however,
I did also get 17 messages from
people who were concerned and
missed the post before it was
deleted. They wanted to know
how to be able to protect their
kids and felt that information
should be publicly allowed.”
Last month, Marie’s abuser,
Donald Louden Ritchie, was
sentenced to
seven months
home detention.
He was not
required to
register as a sex
offender after
he was deemed
‘low-risk.’
Jess McVicar
Said Marie:
“People would
rather not know.
People are just living in wilful
ignorance, they don’t want to
accept their children might not
be safe. If people aren’t prepared
to accept it, how are we going to
stop this happening?”
She had suffered years of
depression and anxiety, which
she now understands are
symptoms of her post-traumatic
stress disorder.
She decided to make a formal
complaint against the man to
prove to her two children it is
okay to speak up.
“I wanted to show them I am a
good model and that it’s okay to
speak out.”
When she was 10-years-old,
the man, a family friend who
her parents had met at church,
temporarily moved into her
family home.
“He was often left to take care
of us kids. He groomed us, then
he took liberties, this is how they
do it.”
The abuse then continued for
two more years.
“He was so confident, but that
was all part of the grooming.
It started with back rubs and
shoulder rubs, which was really
normal in my close family. But
then one time it went too far. I
felt so overwhelmed, so scared it
was my fault.”
“I was complicit. I didn’t share
what was happening out of fear,
I couldn’t talk about it. I knew
what was happening was wrong.
Before you know it, it’s gone too
far. I felt so embarrassed.”
Sensible Sentencing Trust
spokeswoman Jess McVicar said
recent sentencing for sexual
offending has been “appalling.”
“Sex offending used to be
considered as a serious offence.
We now have a status-quo in
our justice system that this is no
longer the case,” Miss McVicar
said.
“Between June 2017 to June
2018, there were 408 home
detention sentences given for
sexual offending.”
However, Miss McVicar said
while she agrees with Marie
trying to warn the community
and naming him, posting his
address online may be risky.
“Unfortunately the risk she
takes with this is the offender can
officially make a complaint to the
Privacy Commissioner against
her. We wouldn’t agree about
posting the address, as we would
never want it to go to the extreme
of someone taking matters into
their own hands or doing a witch
hunt.”
Netsafe chief executive Martin
Cocker said online digital content
which causes harm can result in
prosecutions under the Harmful
Digital Communications Act
2015.
“On the surface, this could
be treated as harmful digital
communication under the Act.
However, when put to the test, it
is unlikely it would result in an
offence given the nature of the
circumstances,” he said.
“The law applies online, as it
would with anywhere else. If
you apply unnecessary risk to an
individual, you could absorb that
liability, like in any other sphere.
“We would encourage people
to allow legal institutions to do
their job and not to take action in
defiance of that,” Mr Cocker said.
•Marie is not the victim’s real
name.
DANGER: The moment
when two police officers
apprehended the alleged
shooter on Brougham St.
Alleged
gunman
not washing
in prison
•From page 1
In a surprise move last
week, Mr Tait withdrew an
application to move the trial out
of Christchurch.
He had earlier applied to have
the trial, set down for June next
year, taken out of the city.
Moving the trial out of
Christchurch would have been
a major logistical challenge
for the courts system, with the
many witnesses expected to be
called to give evidence.
The cost of moving the trial
had been budgeted in the
millions.
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Lianne Dalziel
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With my experience and inclusive style of leadership, we
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Together, we will build a legacy for generations to come.”
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