Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Police dealing with Auckland Child Abuse cases

Auckland Barrister Marie Dyhrberg says, in her experience, Auckland does not have a problem with delays to police investigations into child abuse cases.

Police are undertaking a national review of case loads and management, following revelations of a three-year backlog of child abuse cases in the Wairarapa.

Dyhrberg says in the cases she has been involved in, child abuse allegations are usually investigated and either resolved or are before the courts within three months. She says particularly over the past few years, police appear to be giving such cases priority and are putting resources into them.

Ms Dyhrberg says it is important for all parties that a claim is investigated fully before any charges are laid.

Multi shot tasers

Marie Dyhrberg quoted in a US article concerning multiple shot Tasers, with regard to the police shooting of an Auckland actor when a Taser was not available on the scene.

The New American

Monday, August 3, 2009

Access to Justice Reduced With Legal Aid Cuts

Click header to read article.

excerpt:

Barrister Marie Dyhrberg said that Mr Power had not qualified his comments by referring to "some" or "a few" lawyers. "He actually said 'lawyers' - meaning that in his view a majority or substantial number are committing fraud on the system by deliberately manufacturing false reasons for adjournments to obtain money which amounts to criminal fraud."

Ms Dyhrberg said that, unless the minister could substantiate his claims with specific examples to confirm that a majority or substantial number of lawyers had acted in this way, his statements could well amount to defamation.

She called on the minister to back up his claims by providing specific details of the names of lawyers and the times and places at which such behaviour had occured. Ms Dyhrberg said that the remarks also cast a slur on reputations of judges, as there was an implication that judges were either complicit with lawyers engaging in such behavious, or were incompetent in failing to prevent it. "The reality is that (the comments are) untrue. Only when there is a really good basis for an adjournment will you get it."