Crimes Act 1961

Crimes against public order - Smuggling and trafficking in people

98E: Aggravating factors

You could also call this:

“Things that make smuggling or trafficking people a worse crime when deciding punishment”

When a judge decides what punishment to give someone who has been found guilty of smuggling or trafficking people, they must consider certain things that make the crime worse. These things are called aggravating factors.

For both smuggling and trafficking crimes, the judge must think about:

If anyone was hurt or killed during the crime.

If the crime was done to help or was ordered by a criminal group.

If the people who were smuggled or trafficked were treated very badly or in a way that took away their dignity.

How many people were affected by the crime.

For trafficking crimes, the judge must also think about:

If the people who were trafficked were forced to do things they didn’t want to do, like work without pay or have their organs removed.

How old the people who were trafficked were, especially if they were younger than 18.

If the person who did the crime got something valuable for doing it.

The judge can also think about other things that aren’t listed here when deciding on the punishment. This helps them make a fair decision based on all the important information about the crime.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM328724.

Topics:
Crime and justice > Criminal law
Immigration and citizenship > Border control

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98D: Trafficking in persons, or

“This law makes it illegal to help move or keep people for bad purposes, like forcing them to work or taking their body parts.”


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98F: Attorney-General's consent to prosecutions required, or

“The Attorney-General must say it's okay before someone can be taken to court for smuggling or trafficking people.”

Part 5 Crimes against public order
Smuggling and trafficking in people

98EAggravating factors

  1. When determining the sentence to be imposed on, or other way of dealing with, a person convicted of an offence against section 98C or section 98D, a court must take into account—

  2. whether bodily harm or death (whether to or of a person in respect of whom the offence was committed or some other person) occurred during the commission of the offence:
    1. whether the offence was committed for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with, an organised criminal group (within the meaning of section 98A(2)):
      1. whether a person in respect of whom the offence was committed was subjected to inhuman or degrading treatment as a result of the commission of the offence:
        1. if during the proceedings concerned the person was convicted of the same offence in respect of 2 or more people, the number of people in respect of whom the offence was committed.
          1. When determining the sentence to be imposed on, or other way of dealing with, a person convicted of an offence against section 98D, a court must also take into account—

          2. whether a person in respect of whom the offence was committed was subjected to exploitation (for example, sexual exploitation, a requirement to undertake forced labour, or the removal of organs) as a result of the commission of the offence:
            1. the age of the person in respect of whom the offence was committed and, in particular, whether the person was under the age of 18 years:
              1. whether the person convicted committed the offence, or took actions that were part of it, for a material benefit.
                1. The examples in paragraph (a) of subsection (2) do not limit the generality of that paragraph.

                2. This section does not limit the matters that a court may take into account when determining the sentence to be imposed on, or other way of dealing with, a person convicted of an offence against section 98C or section 98D.

                Notes
                • Section 98E: inserted, on , by section 5 of the Crimes Amendment Act 2002 (2002 No 20).