A young man from Gisborne who was seen striking a 71-year-old woman during a heated Kellie-Jay Keen counter-protest in Auckland, New Zealand has been granted diversion. In New Zealand, diversion is a scheme carried out by the police that allows first-time offenders to take responsibility for their offences outside the court system to avoid a criminal record.
NZ Media Watch took to Twitter following the recent revelation, posting: “This afternoon we spoke with the advocate of the 71 year-old lady violently assaulted in Albert Park. On May 22nd the victim was advised by @nzpolice: ‘I am emailing to let you know that diversion has NOT been approved by the diversion officer due to the serious nature of the offence.’”
However, the account reported that the police apparently changed their position. NZ Media Watch said in the same post: “Yesterday -June 12th- the accused was scheduled to appear in Auckland District Court. At the last possible moment police advised the victim: ‘The defendant has been granted diversion and the hearing has been adjourned to allow him to complete his diversion. I have advised as part of his diversion he will be asked to pay [the victim] $1,000, do counselling, complete community work, and to write an apology letter.’”
The account concluded: “The victim has opposed diversion throughout the process and feels thoroughly let down by NZ Police, the Ministry of Justice, and Victim Support. She considers diversion to be an outright miscarriage of justice, that a conviction and the naming of her assailant ought to be the absolute minimum outcome. We agree.”
Suzanne Levy, the Speak Up For Women spokeswoman, said that the recent court decision to grant diversion for the abuse that took place at the Let Women Speak event in Albert Park was part of a “dangerous cultural shift.”
“We extend our aroha to the victim and we will not stop our public opposition to radical gender ideology.”
