The Hunter region is witnessing a complete collapse of common sense in our justice system. Stephen McGinnis — a convicted killer with a long, violent history — assaults his sister, stabs a police officer, and the judge says: “Stay on your medication and don’t use drugs.” That is the entirety of the so-called justice being served.
This man fatally stabbed someone a decade ago, goes out on parole, punches a man on Hunter Street, assaults family members, attacks police officers — and the solution from the bench is essentially a lecture. Meanwhile, ordinary citizens are left to wonder who is protecting them.
This is not rehabilitation. It is negligence. It is putting procedure ahead of real-world safety. If McGinnis walks free next July, and history suggests he will, the consequences will fall on the community, not the judge or the system that allowed it.
The question is simple: if someone like McGinnis kills again, should the judge who allowed him out face consequences? Should there be accountability in a system that prioritizes the rights of violent criminals over the safety of everyday people?
The only advice that matters: don’t stab people, and if you are a judge, keep dangerous offenders locked up. When the system fails at that basic level, tragedy is inevitable.