|
|
Focus on
Police Competence |
|
Three Auckland teenagers wrongly
jailed for a vicious attack six years ago have lost a bid to get more
compensation from the government. Lucy Akatere, Tania
Vini, and Krishla Fuataha appealed the $130,000 they were offered for the
time they spent behind bars. And now they could end up losing money instead. Fuataha says she tries
to block out the memories of her time in Mt Eden Prison as a 15-year-old and
instead has a happier focus on her six-week-old baby. "He brings a lot
of happiness to my life he has changed me. I used to be hard out
naughty... drugs, alcohol... since he has come into my life I've gone the
other way ... It's a miracle," she says. Fuataha and her two
friends made the headlines in 2000 when they were jailed for what a judge
described as a sadistic slashing. Police said the three
had set upon a 16-year-old at an Auckland shopping centre and robbed her of
$10. The teenagers were
freed seven months later after a witness admitted she lied. They were also
found to have been nowhere near the attack. The trio challenged the
government's compensation offer of more than $130,000 each after legal advice
claimed they were entitled to significantly more. On Monday they learned
not only has the court rejected their bid for more compensation, the
government has every right to seek legal costs from them. Fuataha and her friends
fear that would see them lose at least some of their money. A spokesperson for
Justice Minister Mark Burton says he is yet to see the judgement and make a
decision on whether to pursue costs. |
