Judge Watts ‘victimised’

Press, 27 August 1980, Page 4

Judge Watts ‘victimised’

PA Palmerston North Judg'eyiWa-tts is. being victimised by the : Fair Courts Action Group, according.to another protest group. The new group, calling itself, Concern for Total Justice, says F.C.A.G. will achieve next to nothing for.justice with its shortterm aim of sacking-Judge Watts.

The C.T.J. spokeswoman, Ms Wendy Craig, said the Judge had answered criticism of his comments and now it was time .to look at wider issues in., the judicial system.

She said her group intially. supported Fair Courtis,’ but decided there was more to the issue than short-term goals. “What Fair Courts has done has been very important. It has highlighted the issue of the comments Judge Watts was making in court and p..t him in a position where he had to answer. .

“However, we do not know how long you should keep hounding a person. We do not support the victimisation Judge Watts seems to be suffering,” she said.' Ms Craig said the Judge

had indicated his willingness to meet women’s groups to talk about his comments and has said he .was not aware of any prejudices he had. , "It seems his attitudes are not about to change but if those attitudes can be pointed out to him then he can be made aware of them. "If he makes himself approachable then in our type of court system the person in the dock is being given a fair chance,” she said. It was the present court system about which C.T.J. was particularly concerned.

In a telegram to the Labour Member of Parliament for Mangere (Mr D. R. Lange) C.T.J. asked: How are judges appointed? How can they be removed? To whom are they accountable? If the GovernorGeneral is the only means by which a judge can be removed, and his appointment is a National Party one, can we assume there is no right of redress? Ms Craig said it appeared judges were appointed "on the whim' of the oldboy network,” but the lack of accountability was what really trjub’ed C.T.J.