Legal system must change, says victim Return
to Index
20nov03 The Advertiser
THE man who lost his right eye when shot by Paul Habib Nemer is
calling for greater rights for victims of crime.
A day after his attacker was jailed for a minimum of 21
months, Geoffrey Williams said he hoped the high-profile case would prompt
reform of the legal system and hailed public and State Government support for
his plight.
"We hope
that, as a result, sentencing procedures in this state can be improved to allow
for greater victim input and a higher level of transparency between the
parties," the former newspaper vendor, who was with son Ben, said
yesterday.
"I
anticipate the pending inquiry into the way the Director of Public Prosecutions
handled the matter will shed more light on this area."
Appearing
overwhelmed outside of court on Tuesday, Mr Williams, 46, would not comment
after the Court of Criminal Appeal re-sentenced Nemer.
Yesterday
afternoon, while reading from a prepared statement at Unley Oval, Mr Williams
said without the backing of the public – and Government intervention in the
case – there would not have been an appeal against Nemer's original suspended
sentence. "It has been the public's interest that has fuelled this case and
it is likely the appeal would have never been instigated without this
attention," he said.
"I would
just like to begin by thanking first and foremost the public for their
continuing support in this case.
"I thank
the Premier, Mr Rann, for voicing and acting upon the concerns of the public.
"I would
also like to thank the police and in particular the detectives who have worked
so long and so hard to bring this case to court. The excellent work provided a
sound basis upon which the Solicitor-General (Chris Kourakis) was able to mount
an exceptional case.
"Mr
Kourakis and his legal team worked tirelessly to present the facts."
Mr Williams was
shot by Nemer in the early hours of August 19, 2001, as he was delivering
newspapers in Unley.
Nemer, taking a
loaded gun from under his parents' bed, had rushed from his Springfield home to
assist two young women who thought they were being stalked. In July Nemer
received a three-year suspended sentence with a $100 good behaviour bond from
Justice John Sulan after pleading guilty to endangering life.
When DPP Paul
Rofe, QC, rejected pleas to appeal against the sentence, the Government
intervened and the right to appeal was upheld by the Court of Criminal Appeal
this month.
"It has
been a long process to get to this stage and we are confident the matter will
be now put to rest," Mr Williams said.
"Having
been heard and a just outcome being reached I feel relieved that this matter is
finally over and I am looking forward to the future."
SA Victims of
Crime co-ordinator Michael O'Connell, who was with Mr Williams in court on
Tuesday, said the case had brought up serious questions about the rights of
victims in the court system.
"It
provides opportunities to look at how we can actively consult victims through
the process," he said.
Mr O'Connell
said victims should be consulted by the DPP through the court process, rather
than just being informed of the progression of cases.