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Focus on
Police Competence |
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Auckland - Police
Commissioner Rob Robinson has offered a public apology to the three
"victims of a miscarriage of justice". "We agree with
their lawyer that matters need to be put as right as they can, and on behalf
of NZ Police I publicly offer them our apologies," he said yesterday. Three teenage girls
spent seven months in Auckland's Mount Eden Women's Prison after being
wrongly convicted of the aggravated robbery of a 16-year-old schoolgirl in
Auckland in August 1999. This week the Court of
Appeal quashed the conviction, told the girls they had the court's sympathy,
and suggested the police investigation needed close scrutiny. Teangarua (Lucy)
Akatere and Tania Mayze Vini, both aged 17, and McCushla (Krishla) Priscilla
Fuataha, 16, had their convictions thrown out after the Crown's main witness,
a 13-year-old girl, retracted her evidence by affidavit. Their lawyer, Gary
Gotlieb, said that while they would apply for compensation from the
Government, the priority was to get the girls right and make sure they had
access to victim support. Justice Minister Phil Goff
wants to fast- track the compensation process for people sent to prison for
crimes they did not commit. Yesterday a spokesman
for Mr Goff's office said the Minister, who is in China for the Apec
conference, wanted to streamline the compensation process. Auckland officers would
contact the girls' families to convey police regrets. Mr Robinson said police
acted swiftly when the Auckland city district commander became aware of the
case. "A reinvestigation
started immediately in April and over 100 people were interviewed," he
said. "This investigating officer concluded the convictions against the
girls were unsafe." |
