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Focus on
Police Competence |
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Up to areas of concern
are expected to be highlighted by police as they investigate how three
teenage girls were jailed for crimes they did not commit. Teangarua Akatere and
Tania Mayze Vini, both 17, and McCushla Priscilla Fuataha, 16, all of
Auckland, were freed on bail from Mt Eden women's prison last April and their
convictions for aggravated robbery were quashed by the Court of Appeal in
October. They had been jointly convicted of an aggravated robbery near the
Three Kings Mall in Auckland in August, 1999. They spent seven months
in jail before being granted bail after their lawyer Gary Gotlieb and private
investigator Bryan Rowe persuaded police to reopen the case. The main witness has
since said police pressure led to her false evidence. She retracted her
evidence by affidavit. The girls could receive hundreds of thousands of
dollars in compensation. Police have already apologised. The Sunday Star-Times
understands police heads met with Gotlieb and Rowe recently to discuss preliminary
findings. It is understood police
raised up to 10 areas of concern including: * A lack of supervision on the
case. * A rushed
investigation which took only two days, with some checks allegedly not made. * Relatively junior
staff handling a serious case. Detective constable
Trevor Franklin, a former international test cricketer who now works at
Ponsonby police station, was in charge of the case and has continued working.
His superior at
Balmoral police station at the time may also be in the spotlight over
supervision issues. However, the sergeant has since left the force under the
Perf provisions - physical or mental impairment - so could not be disciplined
even if found to have played a part. Rowe and Gotlieb
refused to discuss any preliminary findings but Rowe said over the years he
had come across a "considerable" number of cases where there had
been a lack of supervision. This was because there was a lack of experienced
staff. He believed supervision problems were an issue for police nationwide.
Police spokeswoman Noreen Hegarty said the internal investigation was
complete and the Police Complaints Authority inquiry finished. |
