STUFF.CO.NZ / THE PRESS: A Christchurch man whose mother was killed in a car crash when two drivers were allegedly racing is running for Parliament and plans to campaign for harsher penalties for criminals.
Former Christchurch mayoral candidate Aaron Keown said he would run as ACT's candidate for the Waimakariri electorate and would be on the party list, which will be released next month.
Keown said he was asked to run by ACT leader Rodney Hide and party founder Sir Roger Douglas.
Keown's mother, Laureen Reilly, was killed on Main North Road in Christchurch two months ago.
Police believe a Mitsubishi Lancer driven by a 25-year-old man had been dangerously overtaking a Nissan Skyline driven by an 18-year-old man when it crossed the centre line and crashed into the car in which Reilly was a passenger.
Keown said a cousin was killed while working at a Christchurch bottle store more than a decade ago.
He said his traumatic personal experience "gives me a strong position on law and order and crime a perspective that most politicians don't have because they have never been in the victim's shoes".
Keown favoured abolishing concurrent sentences and addressing the "gravy train" of legal aid.
"Every single crime you do, you will have to serve a sentence for, so concurrent sentencing would be gone. If you steal 10 cars you will serve 10 sentences not one," he said.
Keown would also like to see harsher penalties for dangerous drivers. "I think anyone who drives excessively dangerously should lose their licence for life."
Detective Sergeant Andrew Fabish, of the Papanui police, said charges over the Main North Road crash were likely to be laid soon.
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