Mike Yardley in Stuff nails the idiocy that even Judith Collins did not eliminate from the Ministry of Justice’s fiddling with criminal process.

Michelle Smith’s powerful letter to The Press on Saturday underscores the outright stupidity of the overcooked restorative-justice revolution that has been unleashed on our courts.

In this case, her loved one, Terrence Martin Smith, died after being doused with petrol and set alight. How unbelievably insulting to presume the victim’s family would wish to rendezvous over tea and biscuits with the killers, ahead of sentencing.

At the other end of the spectrum, The Press reported the case of the Rolleston scooter rider who last month pleaded guilty to intentionally exposing his genitals to passing women.

The female complainant made it patently clear she didn’t want to meet the offender, yet sentencing still had to be delayed for a month.

This is so inquiries can again be formally made about convening a conference, even though the woman has clearly seen more than enough of the individual.

Politicians, not the judges, deserve most of the blame for the continuing contempt of recent year reforms, for victims.