|
Wrongly
Convicted Database
Record
|
Years
Imprisoned:
|
0.625 |
Charge: |
Robbery (includes armed robbery) |
Sentence: |
18 months |
Year Convicted: |
2000 |
Year
Cleared:
|
2001 |
Location
of Trial:
|
New Zealand |
Result:
|
Judicially Exonerated Released |
Summary
of Case:
|
"Codefendant of Krishla Fuataha & Tania Vini. The three girls were wrongly convicted of aggravated robbery in August 2000 based on the false testimony of a 13-year old girl that the three girls helped her assault a 16-year-old girl near an Auckland area mall in 1999. Another male "eyewitness" had falsely corroborated the false story. The girls, who were nowhere near the crime scene, were imprisoned at Auckland's Mount Eden Women's Prison. "Justices Bruce Robertson, Thomas Gault and Peter Salmon, who overturned the conviction, told the girls they had the court's sympathy. Justice Gault said the wrongful conviction "raises questions of conduct by the police, which is a serious matter and must be properly investigated"." (Auckland, NZ, 10-18-01) Awarded compensation of NZL$160,000." |
Conviction
Caused By:
|
False eyewitness testimony of two witnesses. |
Innocence
Proved By:
|
"Retraction of testimony by two "eyewitnesses""
|
Defendant
Aided By:
|
|
Compensation Awarded: |
$160k |
Was Perpetrator Found? |
|
Age
When Imprisoned:
|
15 |
Age
When Released:
|
16 |
Information Source 1: |
""Police apologise to wrongly jailed girls," Naomi Larkin (staff), The New Zealand Herald, Oct. 18, 2001." |
Information
Location 1:
|
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?thesection=news&thesubsection=&storyID=223342 |
Information
Source 2:
|
""Wrongful conviction of teenage girls." Thursday, 18 October 2001, Press Release: New Zealand Government" |
Information
Location 2:
|
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0110/S00342.htm |
Information
Source 3:
|
"Three Teens Offered Over $160k each, NZ Government Press Release, 12-02-2004" |
Information
Location 3:
|
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0412/S00090.htm |
Information
Source 4:
|
|
Information
Location 4:
|
http://216.239.33.100/search?q=cache:y4yIjSz_bXAC:www.national.org.nz/press/October%25202001/mapp17-10-01.htm+%22three+teenage+girls%22+and+%22new+zealand%22+and+%22wrongful%22&hl=en |
Information
Source 5:
|
""Robinson apologises to girls: Auckland: Police apologised yesterday to three girls who spent seven months in jail for a crime they did not commit," Otago Daily Times, New Zealand, Oct. 18, 2001." |
Information
Location 5:
|
http://www.odt.co.nz/ |
Ethnicity/Skin:
|
Native |
Book
About
Case:
|
|
Book
Information:
|
|
Book About Case (2): |
|
Book Information (2): |
|
Movie About Case: |
|
Comments About Case: |
comment |
Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org