The Government will pay Alan Hall just under $5 million in compensation for wrongful conviction and imprisonment, Acting Justice Minister Deborah Russell announced today.
“The Government accepts Mr Hall’s innocence, and apologises unreservedly for his wrongful convictions and imprisonment,” Dr Russell said.
In 1986 Mr Hall was convicted of murdering Arthur Easton and intentionally wounding his son, Brendon Easton and was sentenced to life imprisonment. In June 2022 the Supreme Court quashed his convictions and directed that verdict of acquittal be entered. Mr Hall spent nearly 18 years in prison as a result of his wrongful convictions.
In July 2022 Mr Hall lodged an application for compensation for wrongful conviction and imprisonment.
In September 2022 the former Minister of Justice, Hon Kiri Allan, appointed retired High Court Judge Rodney Hansen CNZM KC to provide independent advice on Mr Hall’s application for compensation and the question of Mr Hall’s innocence.
In February this year Mr Hansen concluded that Mr Hall had established he was innocent of the charges for which he was convicted.
Mr Hansen was then asked to provide advice on an appropriate amount of compensation for Mr Hall. In June he recommended that Mr Hall receive an ex gratia payment of $4,059,725.75 under the 2023 Compensation Guidelines for Wrongful Conviction and Detention.
Mr Hansen also recommended that consideration be given to making an additional payment of $874,000.00 outside of the 2023 Guidelines to recognise Mr Hall’s losses for the period he spent on parole between 1994 and 2012.
This period of parole did not qualify for compensation under the 2023 Guidelines, but Mr Hansen considered that compensation was justified in the exceptional circumstances of Mr Hall’s case.
Cabinet accepted Mr Hansen’s advice and offered Mr Hall compensation totalling $4,933,725.75.
Mr Hall has accepted the Government’s offer of compensation.
“I recognise that Mr Hall suffered significant losses as a direct result of his wrongful convictions and imprisonment. I acknowledge that the apology and compensation can never completely remedy the injustice Mr Hall has suffered. But I hope they go some way in helping Mr Hall rebuild his life and will enable him to pursue the things he wants to,” Russell said.
“New Zealand has a strong justice system, one which New Zealanders can continue to have faith in. On this occasion, an injustice was delivered to Mr Hall, and we are acknowledging that today.”
The Cabinet papers and Mr Hansen’s reports are available here.
“New Zealand has a strong justice system, one which New Zealanders can continue to have faith in….”
Gimme a break! This guy was wrongfully imprisoned for EIGHTEEN years!!! There have been MANY cases where some police egomaniac colluded to get a conviction, and the ‘justice’ system failed abysmally.
Now, who will be held responsible for this failure, where innocent people were used for the self=propelled importance of police and legal functionaries? Who goes to jail for that?
But even worse, we have a secondary justice system here in New Zealand, one where you are guilty until you prove yourself innocent. YOU have to prove your innocence in face of sometimes horrid accusations, otherwise they take your kids away so THEY live in the jail of single parent homes, usually with the mother.
ANYTHING can be made up, and it’s usually up to the father to throw mega monies at the mega-biased Family Court system, one hell of a bottomless pit when it comes to draining males in New Zealand. Once you gain access to your kids or even gain custody, NO repercussions will face persons who made up baseless allegations, destroying people. Perjury is rewarded and you go bankrupt.
Another person “fitted up” by a corrupt police force and biased legal system,we truly live in a banana republic
NO amount of money can ever replace 18 years of your life.
Sorry, not good enough.
Anyone still alive who was involved in this, from the corrupt cops to the prosecution to the magistrate should GO TO PRISON for 18 years themselves. Balance the scales.
If it were me, I’d be using every cent of that money to find them myself. Already done the time, might as well earn it now 🤷🏼♂️
Arthur Allan Thomas and more besides, including this poor man…nothing to be proud of here….indeed questions need be asked and changes made….
This is how the Autistic in this country and overseas are treated- get rid of them in any way available, and make them the scapegoats for a crime where the cops submit false or misleading evidence to the courts!
If you don’t think this is planned globally and happening, then look at the Kiwi young man shot by Colorado Police who was an Aspie…and look at the number of Autistic, Downs Syndrome, and Genetically-caused disabilities that have found DNR ‘Green Sheets’ in their medical / health records!
Doctors in the Netherlands are now making Nazi-like decisions to snuff-out the lives of those mentioned above!
Canada under Justin Castro (aka Trudeau) is following such a path.
The waters are being tested for eliminating the elderly, disabled, autistic, and others that the UN deems as ‘Useless Eaters’!
There is no Legal System that represents the individual New Zealand Citizen here, and that won’t happen unless the New Conservatives arrive on Parliament with their promise of legalising our Civil and Human Rights by enshrining and codifying the NZ Bill of Rights Act into law and becomes reality!
BUT-
I don’t see this happening due to the minor parties lack of trying to obtain a common goal under the aspect of a Super Minor Coalition.
Until then, the ‘legal system’ that is under global dictates will spiral out of control, and …will get worse!