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The Christchurch Civic
Creche Case |
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Bain decision proves case for
Criminal Appeals Review Office The Green Party is renewing the
call for an independent Criminal Appeals Review office following the Privy
Council quashing of David Bain's convictions for the murder of his family. "The Privy Council decision
vindicates the many people who support David Bain; however it also highlights
a much wider problem," Justice Spokesperson Nandor Tanczos says. "The appellate system is
simply incapable of dealing with certain types of cases. This is true in
other countries, including England, the United States and Australia. There
are a number of structural reasons why this is so that have been well
documented overseas.
"Several jurisdictions have introduced some kind of Criminal Appeals
Review as a result. "An independent Criminal
Appeals Review Office was recommended by Sir Thomas Thorp in his 2006 report
on miscarriages of justice in New Zealand," Nandor says. "That call was backed by the
Justice and Electoral Select Committee when it looked into the petitions
calling for an inquiry into the Civic Childcare Centre case. "Justice Thorp suggested
there might be up to 20 people wrongfully imprisoned in New Zealand and while
David Bain has had a tremendous success there are a number of other cases
which cause disquiet for many New Zealanders. "It's important that New
Zealanders can continue to have confidence in our justice system, and it's
vital that the Government implements Sir Thomas Thorps' recommendation." |
