Sentencing Act 2002

The Sentencing Act provides that an offender who is appearing before the Court for sentencing may request the Court hear any person to speak on a number of factors. The most common being the personal, family, whanau, community, and cultural background of the offender and the way in which that background may have related to the commission of the offence.

It is commonplace that instead of a person giving oral submissions, a report is filed prior to sentencing to assist the sentencing Judge.

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About me

My name is Ashleigh Beech. Prior to offering background and cultural reports I worked as a criminal barrister at Thackeray Chambers for Philip Morgan QC. I have a Bachelor of Laws, a Bachelor of Social Sciences and have been admitted to the Bar.

When I entered the legal profession, I wanted to assist people through the criminal process in a meaningful way. Providing section 27 reports has enabled me to do this. A section 27 report widens the scope of information available to the Court that at times can be inadequately represented in the presentence report. A section 27 report is an effective tool and appropriate avenue to advance your clients position if their offending has been influenced by their history, culture, or social background.

I value working relationships that foster confidentiality, trust, maintaining dignity and are free from judgment. I acknowledge that many subjects can be sensitive and/or personal in nature and I work to respect this with everybody I engage with.

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Requesting a report

Requesting a report is easy. Just go to the Quotes menu and select "Request a Quote". Completing that form will send all the information needed to send an estimate. Once funding has been approved by Legal Services, or if you have a private paying client that wishes to proceed, go back to the Quotes menu, and select "Accept Quote". Completing that form will provide the further information needed to complete the report on time.

Initially a draft report will be provided for review by you and/or your client. The final report will be provided to file with the Court. You do not need to do anything other than fill out the two forms here on the website and approve the draft report.

Request a quote » Accept a quote »