Meet a second striker # 5

Vernon Neil Bugden is a rapist and second striker.  He is serving a 9 year sentence of imprisonment for raping (both vaginally and anally) a woman while participating in a prison “work to release” programme, operating “outside the wire”.  He committed his second strike offence while in prison serving his first strike sentence.

His first strike offence was for an attack woman using a knife and in which he choked and threatened to kill her.  This attack, for which he was convicted of wounding with intent to injure, was committed in breach of a protection order.  For that offending, he was sentenced to 2 years 8 months imprisonment.

Bugden has dozens of criminal convictions, many for violence against women. Earlier offending includes beating his pregnant partner so badly she miscarried her twins. He has violent convictions at least in 2003, 2010, 2011, and 2012.

Three strikes prevents him being released early by the Parole Board as he must serve his entire second strike sentence without eligibility for parole.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Justice Minister Andrew Little want the Parole Board to be able to let him out early to continue prey on vulnerable victims.

Under Three Strikes, Bugden will serve up to 6 years more than he could without Three Strikes, and women are safe from him until at least May 2023.