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  "description": "He said no victim should have to sit in a courtroom and hear how the person who robbed them of their dignity deserves a discount at sentencing because of a statement from a former running coach or a principal.",
  "path": "/face-of-the-day-1482/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-17T18:30:46.000Z",
  "site": "https://goodoil.news",
  "tags": [
    "Goldsmith",
    "NZH",
    "Read More Here"
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  "textContent": "> The National Party is promising to ban judges from taking into account good character references when sentencing sex offenders.\n>\n> While the references could still be provided to the court, if elected again later this year, National plans to change the law so judges can’t take the submissions into consideration.\n>\n> Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said taking the submissions into account was an “absolute disgrace”.\n>\n> “No sexual offender is a person of good character. Period,” Luxon said. [...]\n>\n> “I don’t care if you’re a good athlete and I don’t care if your manager liked that you turned up on time at work.\n>\n> “That victim in the courtroom is your character, your conviction is your character and no sympathetic statement to the contrary should play a role on their sentencing.”\n>\n> National’s justice spokesman Paul Goldsmith said too often, the interests of offenders are prioritised over victims of sexual violence.\n>\n> “As the law is written today, judges are required to take into account testimony from individuals willing to speak to an offender’s character – former coaches, employers and family members willing to state on the record that any offending is the exception, not the rule.”\n>\n> Goldsmith said that while this might serve the interests of “well-connected offenders”, it rarely serves the interests of victims.\n>\n> NZH\n\nRead More Here",
  "title": "Face of the Day",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-17T18:30:46.275Z"
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