Gilbert Elliott, father of murder victim Sophie Elliott, reads a victim impact statement at the sentencing of her killer Clayton Weatherston in 2009. The Victims' Rights Act 2002 placed greater emphasis on the victim's right to present to the court a statement describing the impact of the crime on their life. As well as having an influence on the sentence imposed, the statement was a way for victims to impress on offenders the consequences of their actions. Controversially, judges reserved the right to delete parts of statements that could be legally sensitive. Elliott's statement was censored in parts.
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NZPA Images
Reference: 70509
by Martin Hunter
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