about 1 hour ago
The National Party is promising tougher sentences for sexual offending if it's re-elected.
Its justice spokesperson Paul Goldsmith - who is currently the Justice Minister - revealed on Sunday National would scrap good character assessments at sentencing for all sexual crimes, which meant harsher punishment.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon made the announcement at the National Party Central Conference in Hamilton.
As it stands, judges must consider testimonies from people who were willing to speak to an offender's character and maintain that their crime was "the exception, not the rule", Goldsmith said.
