Remove Good Character References For Paedophiles In The Sentencing Procedure Of Child Sexual Abuse Cases.
Petitioner:
Mr Harrison James
| Member:
Boyd, Abigail
| No. of Signatories:
4,340
| Date closed:
03/08/2023
| Status:
Presented 22/08/2023
To the President and Members of the Legislative Council, the petitioners of the ‘Your Reference Ain’t Relevant’ Campaign and victim-survivors of child sexual abuse state that sentences for perpetrators of child sexual abuse should not be mitigated on the basis of good character references. The very nature of the crime is predatory, manipulative and involves grooming; A perpetrators “good” character cannot be separated from the evil they commit upon the most vulnerable victims: children. The petitioners request that the House enact a simple amendment to section 21A(5A) of the Sentencing Procedure Act 1999 (NSW), by deleting the words “if the court is satisfied that the factor concerned was of assistance to the offender in the commission of the offence”.
