Seven years’ jail under three-strikes law
A man with a history of violent offending has been sent to prison for seven years without parole under the new three-strikes law.
The man who stabbed his victim in the leg was the first to be sentenced without parole under the law.
ACT leader David Seymour said the law was working as intended.
Hayze Neihana Waitokia, 26, was sentenced in the High Court at Whanganui on Tuesday for one charge of wounding with intent to injure.
This was Waitokia’s third strike, so he received the maximum sentence for the charge, served without parole.
The three-strikes law was designed to deliver a harsh response to criminals who repeatedly committed serious offences, Seymour said.
‘‘Prior to 2010, Waitokia would have only received jail time of two years and three months.’’
Although Seymour said the law may put pressure on an already struggling prison system, he said it was worth imprisoning someone who has carried out 14 offences, including sexual assault.
The final incident involving Waitokia happened on January 4 when he was drinking alcohol with associates in Marton, where he was living on bail.
An argument broke out between Waitokia and the victim, whom he believed had stolen his phone. The victim was next to him on a couch and Waitokia pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the calf muscle, requiring medical attention.
Waitokia received his first strike after an assault in which he repeatedly punched, kicked, and struck a victim with a piece of wood in 2012.
His second strike came after he stalked and sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl in 2014.
He has 14 previous convictions, six for violent offending, including domestic violence.
Justice David Collins said Waitokia appeared genuine when he said he regretted the incident.
However, there were no circumstances that could stop him sentencing him under the threestrikes policy.
‘‘I acknowledge that your sentence will be much harsher than I would otherwise have imposed. However, that will invariably be the case for a third-strike offence.