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Focus on
Police Competence |
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Three teenage girls,
wrongly imprisoned for a crime they did not commit, may seek hundreds of
thousands of dollars in compensation from the Government. Lucy Akatere and Tania
Vini, both 17, and Krishla Fuataha, 16, were jointly convicted of an
aggravated robbery near the Three Kings Mall in Auckland in August, 1999. They spent seven months
in Auckland's Mt Eden Women's Prison before they were granted bail after
their lawyer Gary Gotlieb and private investigator Bryan Rowe persuaded
police to reopen the case because a principle witness had lied, and that the
three were nowhere near the crime scene. The Court of Appeal
subsequently overturned their convictions and the three presiding judges told
the girls "we offer our sympathy to them". Police later apologised
personally to the girls. Mr Gotlieb would not
say today what he believed was a fair compensation but said it would be far
higher than a suggested figure of $60-$70,000 for their seven months in prison.
He would not comment on
whether he thought the compensation figure could reach $500,000. Mr Gotlieb said a top
psychologist was still examining the three girls but it may take several
years to undo the impact of seven months in an adult prison. The girls had lost
nearly two years of their education because of the charges and prison
sentence. When they were released on bail earlier this year, the school told
them it would be embarrassing if they returned. Mr Gotlieb said the
school stance shocked him but he had "persuaded" the headmaster to
allow the girls to return. "He realised on
reflection it was not the best approach. I gave him the rest of the day to
get back to me," Mr Gotlieb said. Mr Gotlieb said until
the psychological assessment had been completed he could not say what would
be sought in compensation. "That may open up
different matters as well." He said spending time
in prison could change their entire life direction. "That is why I
have to get an expert psychologist in. "They need to be
looked after with kid gloves for a time." Mr Gotlieb said he
expected the Government to pay for the psychological counselling, unrelated
to any claim for compensation. "I am not putting
anything until we have had the chance to sit down and assess it
properly." Police have two
inquiries underway - one into the original assault and criminal activity, and
an internal police inquiry into the way police handled the investigation. The internal inquiry
should be completed before Christmas and the results sent to the Commissioner
of Police, Rob Robinson. |
