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Focus on
Police Competence |
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Justice Minister Phil
Goff has appointed a Queen's counsel to give him independent advice on an
application for compensation for three teenage girls wrongfully imprisoned
for a crime they did not commit. Mr Goff has received a
preliminary application for compensation from Tania Vini, 17, Lucy Akatere,
17, and Krishla Fuataha, 16, who were convicted of aggravated robbery and
spent seven months in Auckland's Mt Eden women's prison in 1999. They were freed when
police reopened the case and their conviction was later overturned by the
Court of Appeal. Mr Goff has appointed
Kristy McDonald, QC, to provide independent advice on whether the girls meet
the criteria for compensation and, if so, what amount is appropriate. Among relevant factors
would be the conduct of Crown agencies, including the police, Mr Goff said. Police had undertaken
an internal investigation and this would be relevant to Ms McDonald's
inquiry. "Although the
manner in which she undertakes this work is a matter for Ms McDonald's
discretion, there will be an opportunity for the three girls to make further
submissions once all the information has been gathered," he said. Last year, the girls'
lawyer Gary Gotlieb said they could be seeking hundreds of thousands of
dollars in compensation. |
