Jakarta –
A man New Zealand has spent nearly 18 years in prison for murder which he didn’t. Now, he will receive compensation worth millions of United States dollars.
Reported by the news agency AFPFriday (18/8/2023), the man, Alan Hall was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1986 after a man was stabbed to death in a house in the city of Auckland.
There was no forensic evidence linking Hall to the crime scene, and the attackers were said to be of different heights and ethnicities. However, Hall was still found guilty of murder.
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Hall was released on parole in 1994, but was sent back to prison in 2012 for violating the terms of his release. He was finally acquitted last year and acquitted of charges.
New Zealand’s Supreme Court admitted the initial trial was unfair, demonstrating “extreme incompetence” or a “deliberate and wrongful strategy to obtain a conviction”.
The Supreme Court also noted that Hall had an intellectual disability, and despite this he was questioned for 20 hours without his lawyer present.
Justice Minister Deborah Russell said on Friday (18/8) that Hall had accepted a compensation offer of NZ$4.9 (US$3 million).
Russell added that the New Zealand government apologized for his erroneous conviction and imprisonment.
“I recognize that an apology and compensation can never fully remedy the injustice that Hall experienced,” Russell added.
Meanwhile, in a statement to local media, the Hall family said they were relieved the fight to clear his name was over. “Alan was 24 years old when he was arrested. He is now 61 years old,” the Hall family said in a statement.
(it/it)
2023-08-18 08:03:07
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