Owen Glenn is the latest high profile New Zealander to get behind a campaign aimed at changing the country's bail laws.
The expatriate businessman and philanthropist has agreed to donate $5000 and offered to be at a protest outside the Auckland High Court at 11.30am next Monday, February 27, that was sparked by the alleged murder of Auckland teenager Christie Marceau in November last year.
The man charged with her murder, Akshay Anand Chand, was on bail at the time, facing charges of earlier allegedly kidnapping Miss Marceau.
Mr Glenn, sixth equal on NBR's 2011 rich list, joins Annette Presley, co-founder of ISP Slingshot and Stephen White OBE, owner and chief winemaker at Waiheke vineyard Stonyridge, as supporters of the campaign that has called for changes to the Bail Act and for judges tasked with deciding on bail being sent a clear message about who is suitable for it and who is not.
Marco Marinkovich, chief executive of Creative Bank, has also lent his support.
In an email trying to drum up financial and moral backing for the campaign, which is being called Christie's Law, Mr Marinkovich said the bail laws had “failed” the teenager and her family.
“She could have so easily have been one of our kids,” he said.
His company has donated $20,000 to the campaign and he is currently arranging advertisements to run in newspapers around New Zealand, including the NBR on Friday.
Next week's protest will include a march to launch a Christie's Law petition, Mr Marinkovich said.
Donations to Christie's Law Trust can be made to Westpac account 03-0275-0644809-00.
Comments and questions
So someone who attacks another person is allowed bail. Yet a computer geek is kept behind bars?
What's wrong with this picture?
And when a whanua bashes a baby to death, no one is even arrested, but all allowed to go free to decide how they will defend their actions, and "mourn".
A computer geek alleged for hosting copyright material gets the full Osama in Laden treatment, except for the bullets!
Owen Glen for prime minister.
The movement should be aimed at removing incompetent judges -- of which there is plenty.
There is already sufficient extant in law to address this problem. It is the judiciary that needs to be targeted and be held accountable. Top and experienced police officers leave in droves, fed up with judges who ignore their pleas to have dangerous criminals held in custody. It is the judiciary that have blood on their hands, not the politicians
I have more recently been a juror. Justice Ingram was fine.
Its a pity about the police detectives case for the crown. This guy should left so may holes in his prosecution case, you could drive a bus through it. He needs to go back to detective 101, or find another job. Whats even more depressing is surely his boss must have reviewed his work.
society and the taxpayer are just not getting any value return here. My estimates is the cost to the crown would have been north of $150,000... Yet for maybe 2 to 4 weeks additional work, it is likely we would have had a more certain outcome.
My fear is this is just the tip of the iceberg. Another poor investment.
I have more recently been a juror. Justice Ingram was fine.
Its a pity about the police detectives case for the crown. This guy should left so may holes in his prosecution case, you could drive a bus through it. He needs to go back to detective 101, or find another job. Whats even more depressing is surely his boss must have reviewed his work.
society and the taxpayer are just not getting any value return here. My estimates is the cost to the crown would have been north of $150,000... Yet for maybe 2 to 4 weeks additional work, it is likely we would have had a more certain outcome.
My fear is this is just the tip of the iceberg. Another poor investment.
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