Sensiblestuff.co.nz is a partnership between Ron & Faye Bishop, Garth McVicar and The Sensible Sentencing Trust.

Ron & Faye began their relationship with Garth and the SST in January 2010 after the murder of their son Dean, (Read their story below.)

Since Dean’s death, and during their journey to see justice served for the murderers of their son, Ron and Faye have become more actively involved and fully supportive of The Sensible Sentencing Trust.

They recognise that if it were not for Garth, the Trust and it’s mission statement to bring more attention to Politicians of the plights of Victims of Crime, then their journey would have been made considerably more difficult than it already was. One such example of what the Trust’s lobbying has achieved over time was the help, personal support and financial assistance given them by Victim Support.
This assistance allowed for both Ron & Faye to travel and stay in New Plymouth for nearly 8 weeks for the 6 week trial of their son’s killers. Something they would have been unable to do if it were not for that assistance.

Although supportive of the Trust since it’s formation in 2001, Ron has in the past year since his Son was murdered developed a close personal and working relationship with Garth. Ron and Faye both fully endorse the aims of the Trust to bring about more public awareness to the honest and Law Abiding New Zealand public of the inequalities of the Criminal Justice System, the lack of rights to Victims of Crime and for tougher sentencing for Serious and Violent crime.

OUR JOURNEY FOR OUR DEANO

Words by Ron Bishop

The morning of Saturday January 23rd 2010 was no less memorable than any other, probably not too dissimilar for most of you reading this.

We were stirred early by our babies (Cairn Terriers) Missy & Matey on our bed making noises and licking our faces for they were ready to be let out for their morning ablutions and to partake in another day of excitement and adventure around our small farm just north of Auckland.

I too was particularly perky. I was playing in my first Club Championship at the Helensville Bowling Club, having recentlytaken up Bowls. Faye was quite excited for me too as this was the first competitive sport I'd played since giving up rep Golf in '98 due to a major neck injury.

Having breakfast and listening to the radio, we distinctly remember commenting to each other on hearing the news of another homicide and a victim's beaten and decomposing body being discovered in a garage in New Plymouth: "Here we go again. Another poor bloody family devastated. Another mother left distraught and heartbroken" we said to each other "what's going on in this country!" we questioned, "there's just too many damn murders taking place".

That afternoon I came home on cloud 9. I'd bowled really well, even beating the current Junior Champion on the way to Sunday's finals. Faye was happy for me. What a day to remember I thought as we went to bed in preparation for 'my' big day Sunday (Which never came).

Well, that 'memorable' day to remember was soon to come to an abrupt halt! It was to become a day to remember for ALL of the wrong reasons! A day that we went to hell and back, a day that would begin a journey we never ever wanted to embark upon.

For, at precisely 10.50pm that fateful Saturday night Faye, Lee (Deans brother) and I were crudely woken by 6 Detectives banging on our door, informing us that our beloved son (and brother) Dean was dead. "He's been murdered, his body has been found in New Plymouth," they said. Utter disbelief, not our Dean, it just couldn't be true and, in New Plymouth?!! That night, it was our turn to become "that poor bloody family". Our whole world was to be forever changed.

Dean Stuart Browne was a tall, strong, handsome, intelligent, kind and caring man. He was our youngest son (my stepson of 34 years) and although no angel, he was certainly far from "bad". Dean was loved by so many, always the life of the party, adventurous and with a warped and witty sense of humour, Dean still had so much to offer but his life was brutally ended far too soon.

This in vast contrast and totally contrary to the picture painted of him by the defence teams of the "low-lifes" who placed no value on another human beings right to living. The majority of the bush fires created by these legal parasites we were able to extinguish along the way, although it has taken a toll on us, both financially and health wise. (I won't waste space, as most details can be googled.) Particularly, when sucked into a perverse Legal system through no fault of their own, discovering that the victim is the one with no rights whatsoever and that the accused enjoy every right, benefit and entitlement afforded them. These rights and entitlements bequeathed by the tinkering and chipping away of a once forceful and respected Justice System over the decades by Liberalist do­gooders hell bent on reinventing Social and Family values.