Mitchell Mark: Bail Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Mitchell Mark: Bail Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 10 May 2012. Volume:679;Page:2195. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
MARK MITCHELL (National—Rodney) 
: 
 I am very pleased to stand in support of the Bail Amendment Bill. But I have been a bit disturbed by some of the comments I have heard in the House today namely from Mr Faafoi and Mr Goff. I have heard political spin from both of them which is a bit disappointing. I spent most of the time listening to Mr Goff telling us about how much he had done in relation to sharpening up the bail laws. But the fact of the matter is Mr Goff you did not do enough and that is why we have the Bail Amendment Bill in the House now—to fix the gaping gaps that were obviously there.  
Then I had to listen to Metiria Turei from the Green Party come in here and become flippant about burglaries. I have to say that burglaries affect a lot of households around New Zealand. You should not diminish the impact that they have on people. A burglar can quickly turn into a murderer or a rapist. It really disturbs me that we have members of this House who come in here and do not really take public safety that seriously. Well that is how it appears to me.  
I want to talk to one part of this bill and I want to relate a story that is personal to me. It is about a young 12-year-old girl who lived in Gisborne and had been sexually assaulted and abused by her stepfather. When this came to light unfortunately the abuse had gone on for a few years. The police investigated and he was arrested and charged. He was later let out on bail. The young girl was on her way to school one day and he waited for her. He picked her up outside the school and drove her to the top of Gaddums Hill. He was a pig hunter and he got his knife out and he stabbed her—stuck her like a pig—and killed her. This is exactly what he said afterwards. He said that he was proud of what he had done.  
I just have to say that one of the changes in this bill relates directly to this young girl who today would have been 22. She could well have been married and starting her own family. She is not here with us obviously any more. When a defendant is charged with a serious violent or sexual offence and has a previous history of sexual violence or sexual offending a reverse burden of proof will apply. That is all very well but how are we actually going to protect this 12-year-old girl? She was 12 at the time. I will tell you how we are going to do it with this bill.  
The Government is extending the list of serious violent and sexual offences that qualify a defendant to be subjected to a reverse burden of proof to include sexual conduct with a child under 12 and with this amendment she would have had the protection she needed and would be here with us today.  
The list will also now include sexual conduct with a young person under 16 and kidnapping and we are all aware that there is a very high profile case at the moment with the loss of another young lady but I cannot speak about it because it is still before the courts. The list will include abduction for the purposes of marriage or sexual connection and aggravated burglary and I come back to the point that a burglary can turn very quickly from an innocent burglary into an aggravated burglary into a sexual assault even into a murder. The list will also include assault with intent to rob.  
It is with great pride that I get to stand here today and support this bill. As a member of the Law and Order Committee I look forward to the bill coming to the select committee. I stand in support of it. Thank you.