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This page last updated
February 8 2006
2001-1226 - The Dominion - Girls
to seek compensation
A
compensation claim from three girls wrongfully jailed for aggravated robbery
will not be lodged with the Government till at least February, the girls'
lawyer, Gary Gotlieb, says…… The Crown's main witness, a 13-year-old girl,
retracted her evidence by affidavit after their conviction.
2001-1114 - The Press -
Compensation claim likely
NZPA - 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.
2001-1113 - Stuff - Wrongly
jailed girls seeking compo
NZPA - Three teenage girls, wrongly imprisoned for a crime they did not
commit, may seek hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation from the
Government. ……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.
2001-1104 - Sunday Star Times - A Fair
Cop?
by Nicholas Maling - It is at courts like this that
concerns are growing the police are lining up the wrong people for the wrong
crime, or letting the guilty walk free through lack of evidence. The Sunday
Star-Times has been told of a malaise affecting a crucial juncture in the
justice system, police prosecutions. This is where the 9000-strong police
force puts its cases before the courts for judgement. This is where justice
should be done. Shoddy preparatory work or poor investigation carries a high
cost--wrong convictions or unwarranted acquittals. Lawyers say these are
precisely the risks being run by the police. The Criminal Bar Association and
the Bar Association, which represent criminal lawyers and lawyers
respectively, have raised concerns about a decline in the quality of police
preparatory work for court.
2001-1025 - Southland Times -
Trial and error
Editorial - A 13-year-old girl, Auckland police, prosecution and defence lawyers
have collectively played a part in a deplorable miscarriage of justice for
three teenage girls who spent seven bitter months in Mount Eden Women's
Prison. But exactly what everybody's role in the fiasco was remains to be
sorted out, as do what lessons must be learned to minimise, if not prevent,
such disgraceful masquerades from intruding into the New Zealand justice
system
2001-1024 - Waikato Times -
Call to sack officer
NZPA - The father of one of three girls wrongfully jailed for seven months is
happy the police have apologised, but wants the officer he believes
responsible removed from the force. Vini
Kavi said Detective Constable Trevor Franklin, the former test
cricketer who was in charge of the case, should be dismissed.
2001-1024 - Stuff - Police
pressure led to false confession - witness
NZPA - The main witness in the case against three Auckland girls wrongfully
imprisoned for robbery says police pressure led to her false
confession…….."I was confused and stressed out. The police kept saying
if you don't say it we're going to get you another way. We're going to get
you and the others. In the end I said it because I wanted to make the whole
thing go away."
2001-1024 - NZ Herald - Father
wants detective to go
Detective Constable Trevor Franklin
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"should be removed from the force"
by
Alan Perrot - The father of one of three girls who wrongly spent seven months
behind bars is happy the police have apologised, but wants the officer he
believes put them there removed from the force. Vini Kavi said
Detective Constable Trevor Franklin, who was in charge
of the case, should be dismissed. "I've got nothing against the police, it's
just him. He's the one who made my girl go into prison. If he'd done his work
properly, the girls wouldn't have been arrested.
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If Trevor Franklin had done his work properly,
the girls wouldn't have been arrested
.
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2001-1024 - The Dominion - Girl's
dad wants detective sacked
The
father of one of three girls wrongfully jailed for seven months is happy
police have apologised, but wants the officer he believes responsible
sacked. Vini Kavi said Detective
Constable Trevor Franklin, the former test cricketer who was in charge
of the case, should be dismissed……. Mr Broad will not comment on the internal
inquiry till it is completed, possibly next month. Mr Franklin is still working and
has employed a lawyer.
2001-1023 - NZ Herald - Freed
girl's father likely to recover forfeited cash
by
Paul Yandall - An Auckland father who paid a man $4000 to investigate the
case against his innocent daughter in prison could get his money back in a
compensation payment. Vini Kavi, the father of
17-year-old Tania Mayze Vini, who with two other girls was wrongly convicted
last year of aggravated robbery, paid the man to help free his daughter. But
after six months, the man failed to find anything of significance in the case
and managed only to arrange a meeting between Mr Kavi and lawyer Gary
Gotlieb. Mr Gotlieb hired a registered private investigator, former
police superintendent Bryan Rowe, to investigate the
case and as a result the girls' convictions were quashed last week.
2001-1022 - The Press -
Detective hires lawyer to help
Greg O'Connor, Police
Association
"Standing by Mr Franklin" -
refers to "staff shortages"
No known comment from O'Connor reported on concerns about Franklin's victims.
NZPA - After convictions against three teenage girls were overturned last
week the detective in charge of the case, former international test cricketer
detective constable Trevor Franklin, has hired a
lawyer to help save his career…… A friend also said Mr Franklin
"categorically denies any criminal conduct". The Police Association
is also standing by Mr Franklin. "We're making
sure he's not hung out to dry. That's what tends to happen ... Everyone looks
for someone to blame," said association president Greg O'Connor.
2001-1021 - Sunday Star Times -
Detective hires lawyer to fight for career
by
Rachel Grunwell - Former international test cricketer detective constable Trevor
Franklin has hired a lawyer to help fight for his career in the
police. "At the moment, not all of the relevant information about this
case is in the public arena. People need to withhold judgement until all the
facts are known," said lawyer Richard Earwaker
Meanwhile,
police national manager of internal affairs superintendent Paul
Nickalls said any officer found guilty of internal charges could be
penalised with a range of options. Officers could face a maximum $500 fine,
demotion, reduction in seniority, reduced pay or removal from office. Nickalls said police were
extremely tough on their own.
2001-1020 - NZ Herald - Man
charged with acting as a 'PI'
A
man who was paid $4000 to investigate the wrongful imprisonment of three
girls has been charged with operating as a private investigator without a
licence. The Court of Appeal this week quashed the teenage girls' joint
conviction for aggravated robbery
2001-1019 - The Press -
Justice mangled
Editorial - It is a horror story except in the last chapter. Three teenage girls
fingered for a crime they did not commit are confronted with police and a
court that do not believe them. They are convicted. They spend seven months
in Mount Eden. Only then does a tenacious lawyer manage to get a new court to
quash their convictions and set them free.
2001-1019 - The Dominion -
Wrongful jailing inquiry needed - investigator
by
Glen Scanlon - The wrongful jailing of three girls must be investigated by a
government commission of inquiry, the former police superintendent who helped
free the girls says. Bryan Rowe, now a private
investigator, said yesterday that everything that could have gone wrong with
the case did and he had serious concerns about the police investigation, how
it was prosecuted and how the judge handled aspects of the trial. The girls'
case was just the tip of the iceberg.
2001-1018 - NZ Parliament -
Questions for Oral Answer
Nandor
Tanczos to the Minister of Police: Does he agree with Gary Gotlieb, lawyer
for three girls wrongfully imprisoned for aggravated robbery, who is reported
to have said that "Police had tunnel vision and often believed they had
the offender and then found the facts to fit the crime."
2001-1018 - Green Party -
GreensAlarmed.htm
Green
Justice Spokesperson Nandor Tanczos today said the
wrong conviction, and subsequent imprisonment, of three teenage girls showed
up significant problems with the conduct and practices of the New Zealand
police. “While I am pleased these girls have been freed, an apology has been
given and compensation looks like being paid, this event takes already low
public confidence in police procedures to a new level,” he said.
2001-1018 - The Press - Apology for
'miscarriage of justice'
NZPA - 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…… 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
2001-1018 - NZ Herald -
Police apologise to wrongly jailed girls
by
Naomi Larkin - The police have apologised to three girls who spent seven
months in jail for a crime they did not commit. Commissioner Rob
Robinson said yesterday that police were "very sorry" that
the Auckland teenagers were "victims of a miscarriage of
justice". On Tuesday, the Court
of Appeal in Auckland quashed the joint conviction for aggravated robbery of Teangarua
(Lucy) Akatere and Tania Mayze Vini, both aged 17,
and McCushla (Krishla) Priscilla Fuataha, 16, all of Mt Roskill.
2001-1018 - The Dominion - Girls'
claim for compo may be sped up
by
Glen Scanlon - Three teenage girls who spent seven months in Mt Eden Women's
Prison for a crime they did not commit will seek hundreds of thousands of
dollars in compensation. Justice Minister Phil Goff said
yesterday he was concerned with what appeared to be the girls' wrongful
imprisonment and the trauma it caused. Their claim might be sped up if the
Cabinet agreed to change the rules governing compensation.
2001-1017 - Waikato Times
- Vindicated trio to seek reparation
NZPA - Three teenage girls who walked free from court yesterday after the
conviction which sent them to prison last year was overturned will seek
compensation, their lawyer said. Teangarua Lucy Akatere, 17, Tania
Mayze Vini, 17, and Krishla Priscilla Fuataha, 16,
were jailed last year for what a judge described as a "sadistic"
slashing.
After
Justices
Robertson, Gault and Salmon yesterday overturned the conviction,
which was not opposed by police, the trio's lawyer Gary Gotlieb said they
would be seeking compensation but not immediately. Mr Gotlieb said the
three did not commit the crime and were wrongfully convicted.
2001-1017 - The Press -
Conviction of girls overturned
NZPA - Wellington - Three teenage girls who walked free from court after the
conviction that sent them to prison last year was overturned will seek
compensation, their lawyer says…………."The investigation and trial system
failed in this case," said Justice Gault. The court said the
wrong conviction raised questions about the conduct of the police which must
be investigated. "Three young persons have been let down by the
system."
2001-1017 - Stuff - Teenage girls
in line for thousands in compensation
NZPA - Three teenage girls wrongly jailed for eight months may be in line for
tens of thousands of dollars in compensation. The girls spent eight months in
Auckland's Mt Eden Women's Prison after they were convicted on charge of
aggravated robbery. They yesterday won their appeal against the conviction
when it was overturned by the Court of Appeal. The three judges on the bench
told the girls "we offer our sympathy to them". But the girls'
lawyer, Gary Gotlieb, said they wanted more than sympathy. They
wanted an apology from police and compensation from the Government.
2001-1017 - Stuff - Innocent
girls freed from jail
NZPA - Three teenage girls convicted of a crime they did not commit want a
police apology and plan to seek compensation.
The court heard that after their trial, the Crown's principal witness,
a 13-year-old girl, retracted her evidence by affidavit. ….. The officer in
charge of their case, former New Zealand test cricket opening batsman Detective
Constable Trevor Franklin, did not accept the girls' denials.
2001-1017 - NZ Herald - System
betrays innocent girls
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As Mr Rowe, a former police superintendent, pored over the evidence he
uncovered a series of police blunders and basic oversights that he
describes as bordering on criminal offences.
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by Naomi Larkin - ….. The
teenagers were sent to prison last year for what a judge described as a
sadistic slashing and they spent seven months in Mt Eden Women's Prison. .. Justice
Gault said the "investigation and trial system failed in this
case". The wrongful conviction "raises questions of conduct by the
police which is a serious matter and must be properly investigated". The
girls' appeal owed much to the painstaking work of private investigator Bryan
Rowe and the efforts of their Court of Appeal lawyer, Gary
Gotlieb, he said. So how could the whole system fail, leaving three
innocent girls in prison?
As Mr
Rowe, a former police superintendent, pored over the evidence he
uncovered a series of police blunders and basic oversights that he describes
as bordering on criminal offences. "There are things I have seen in this
file that cause me to believe that at least the police should be making
inquiries to see if criminal offences have been committed by any police
officer."
2001-1017 - Evening Post -
Jailed girls want police to apologise
NZPA - Three teenage girls convicted of a crime they did not commit spent
seven months in Mt Eden Women's Prison. Now the girls want police to
apologise for a botched investigation and plan to seek compensation.
2001-1017 - The Dominion - Compo
bid after 'terrible injustice'
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Police had tunnel vision and it was often the case that police believed
they had the offender and then found the facts to fit the crime, Gary
Gotlieb said
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NZPA - Three teenage girls who
walked free from court yesterday after the conviction that sent them to
prison last year was overturned will seek compensation, their lawyer says. Teangarua
Lucy Akatere, 17, Tania Mayze Vini, 17, and Krishla Priscilla Fuataha, 16,
were jailed last year for what a judge described as a "sadistic"
slashing. They did not commit the crime and were wrongfully convicted, Mr
Gotlieb said. Ms Fuataha was sentenced to two
years' jail, the other two to 18 months. Police had tunnel vision and it was
often the case that police believed they had the offender and then found the
facts to fit the crime, he said.
2001-1016 - Waikato Times -
Conviction overturned
NZPA - Three teenage girls walked out of court today, close to tears, moments
after the conviction which sent them to prison last year was overturned.
2001-1016 - Stuff - Convictions
overturned for jailed teens
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The court said the wrong conviction raised questions about the conduct of
the police which must be investigated.
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Three teenage girls jailed
for a crime they did not commit, had their convictions quashed by the Court
of Appeal today. Teangarua Lucy Akatere, 17, Tania Mayze Vini, 17
and Krishla Priscilla Fuataha, 16, were jailed last year for what
a judge described as a "sadistic" slashing of a school girl.
The court heard after the trial an affidavit was produced by a principal
witness retracting the original evidence. Facts were also produced proving
the three were not in the vicinity of the Three Kings Mall in Auckland when a
16-year-old was slashed with a pair of scissors and robbed of $10. Much of
the new evidence was not fresh and could have been obtained with reasonable
diligence before the trial, Court of Appeal said today. "The
investigation and trial system failed in this case," said Justice
Gault.
The court said the wrong
conviction raised questions about the conduct of the police which must be
investigated.
2001-1016 - NZ Herald -
Innocent girls ask police to say sorry
by
Naomi Larkin - Three teenage girls convicted of a crime they did not commit
spent seven months in Mt Eden Women's Prison. Now the girls want police to
apologise for a botched investigation and they plan to seek compensation. The
court heard that after their trial, the Crown's principal witness, a
13-year-old, retracted her evidence by affidavit.
2001-1016 - NZ Herald -
Convictions overturned for jailed teenagers
 Three teenage
girls who spent eight months in prison for what a judge described as a
"sadistic" slashing of a schoolgirl have had their convictions
overturned in the Court of Appeal. Arm in arm with their lawyer Gary Gotlieb
as they left court, the trio said it was a "sensational feeling" to
be free. They appealed the conviction after a private investigator produced
new evidence showing they were not in the Three Kings park when the girl was
attacked
Gary Gotlieb
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