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Allegations
of Abuse in Institutions |
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The police and army
have been asked to provide more information about the investigation into the
fatal shooting of army cadet Grant Bain in his Waiouru barracks 24 years ago.
The request was made
yesterday when Mr Bain's brother Murray met with Defence Minister Phil Goff,
army chief Jerry Mateparae and Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Long. Mr Bain said the family
was pleased with the inquiry findings of former High Court judge David
Morris. Cadet Corporal Andrew Read had loaded his rifle and shot Grant Bain
in the head, and the inquiry found Read should have been charged with
manslaughter instead of the minor charge of careless use of a firearm. The family was also
pleased that the army needed to take responsibility for what happened.
However, they were disappointed that Justice Morris found there was no
evidence of collusion between the police and army on the charge to be laid.
Read's penalty was 200 hours of community service on the charge of careless
use. He died in a forestry accident in 1998. Mr Bain said the police
had completed an internal review after matters were raised by the family but
had yet to receive the results. National MP Shane
Ardern said the Bain family had come to him five years ago and "the
further I go into this matter the more I realise this family have been done a
rough deal by a number of government agencies". "It's my role to
see that wrong has been righted and in my view we are two- thirds of the way
down that process." He said Mr Goff was
surprised by some of the additional information given to him by the family
and about how little he had been advised on the matter. All the issues needed
to be dealt with to find a resolution that would bring closure to the family,
Mr Ardern said. The Government needed
to look at all the facts and suggest a way forward to the family. Family
members had also been asked to think about what they would need for closure. Mr Goff said he had a useful
meeting with Mr Bain, who outlined the family's concerns. He undertook to
seek further information and to refer back to Mr Bain. * A report yesterday
wrongly attributed comments in the army abuse inquiry report to former police
commissioner Bob Walton. The sections of the report quoted were in fact
excerpts from an interview Justice Morris had with another senior police
officer. |
