In a recent trail, a jury failed to established a verdict in a trail of a man accused of manslaughter of his own daughter due to careless break dancing.
Defense Lawyer, Marie Dyhrberg established it was a matter of identification. The crown had to establish the defendant caused the injuries.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Monday, December 11, 2006
Police Stabbings
A man accused of stabbing a police officer with a screwdriver is being held in custody while police wait to interview another officer stabbed in the chest. The accused is being represented by Auckland Barrister Marie Dyhrberg.
The article linked appears to say that an 18 year old officer chased the man who then collided after which it is alleged he attacked the officer.
The police are bringing forward body armour for front line officers.
The article linked appears to say that an 18 year old officer chased the man who then collided after which it is alleged he attacked the officer.
The police are bringing forward body armour for front line officers.
The Taser weapon - what is wrong with arming the New Zealand Police
Common wisdom is that the taser is a quick way to bring down an offender who may otherwise be a danger to others, including arresting officers of the law. It is also obvious to many that a quick sharp jolt is a disincentive to mess with police or break the law.
The police are not an army going to war on crime. The police are the guardians of the safety of the citizen. If the police carry guns, then the criminal will carry bigger guns. Conversely, one may assume that if the criminal carries bigger guns, then the police should carry bombs, and before long the only way to limit criminal activity is to nuke downtown.
Our culture is what is at risk, and it is not a culture that needs to be placed at risk. It is easy to arm police and then it is easy to say that all police are good and all criminals are bad, therefore police with weapons that can take down a crazy miscreant is preferable. What can a taser do that a net can not? It can stop the heartbeat of its target and turn an offender into a victim. It can cause death.
Is that not better than allowing criminals to stab police? Not all criminals bear weapons and to say that most do would be suspect. That some criminals carry a weapon is not a good reason to treat everyone like a criminal and for the same reason you can not treat every suspect as a guilty party. If the law is seen to dish out punishment without fair trial, then the law is no longer respected or trusted by average citizens who normally rely upon society's guardians to protect them, so the primary relationship that the law relies upon is corrupted.
Common wisdom is that the taser is a quick way to bring down an offender who may otherwise be a danger to others, including arresting officers of the law. It is also obvious to many that a quick sharp jolt is a disincentive to mess with police or break the law.
The police are not an army going to war on crime. The police are the guardians of the safety of the citizen. If the police carry guns, then the criminal will carry bigger guns. Conversely, one may assume that if the criminal carries bigger guns, then the police should carry bombs, and before long the only way to limit criminal activity is to nuke downtown.
Our culture is what is at risk, and it is not a culture that needs to be placed at risk. It is easy to arm police and then it is easy to say that all police are good and all criminals are bad, therefore police with weapons that can take down a crazy miscreant is preferable. What can a taser do that a net can not? It can stop the heartbeat of its target and turn an offender into a victim. It can cause death.
Is that not better than allowing criminals to stab police? Not all criminals bear weapons and to say that most do would be suspect. That some criminals carry a weapon is not a good reason to treat everyone like a criminal and for the same reason you can not treat every suspect as a guilty party. If the law is seen to dish out punishment without fair trial, then the law is no longer respected or trusted by average citizens who normally rely upon society's guardians to protect them, so the primary relationship that the law relies upon is corrupted.
Auckland Barrister
Auckland Barrister, Marie Dyhrberg is heading a campaign to stop police use of the Taser in New Zealand. Police historically have been an unarmed force except the specialised armed offenders squad. Now police are conducting a one year trial of Taser weapons to subdue offenders who may otherwise be armed or violent. The use of the Taser is seen as risky as it can cause heart failure, it can cause severe and lasting injury and there is a problem with the assumption of guilt and police using it as a psychological punishment and that changes their role in the balance of justice.
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