The Sensible Sentencing Trust brought together the...

The Sensible Sentencing Trust brought together the families of victims of "New Zealand's most horrific murders" at Parliament to lobby MPs to change sentencing laws. Speaking after the presentation, trust head Garth McVicar said that the country should hold a referendum to ask whether the death penalty should be reintroduced for people convicted of premeditated murder. New Zealand abolished the death penalty in 1961. Earlier, Mr McVicar said serious and repeat offenders should face the same justice as wild dogs. Photos of Auckland dog-attack victim Carolina Anderson had shocked politicians into urgently toughening up dog control laws, especially in regard to "dangerous breeds", he said. Politicians should take the same approach to the "mongrels" in society, he said. "It's not rocket science. All we are asking for is the same justice be given to dangerous humans attacking humans ... as it is to dogs." Justice Minister Phil Mr Goff met Mr McVicar and several of the families after the presentation. He described the material they presented as "horrific", but said he was not about to promote a referendum on capital punishment as New Zealanders had made the decision more than 40 years ago that capital punishment should be abolished.