David Dougherty

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Charge:	Rape and Kidnapping (abduction)
Sentence:	Life Imprisonment
Years Imprisoned:	3.5
Year Crime:
Year Convicted:	1993
Year Cleared:	1997
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	New Zealand
County or Region of Crime:
City of Crime:	West Auckland
Result:	Judicially Exonerated Released
Summary of Case:	"David Dougherty was wrongly convicted of abducting and raping an 11-year-old girl in West Auckland, New Zealand. Dougherty was acquitted after his retrial because DNA testing of the victim's underwear revealed Dougherty was excluded as her attacker. In 2001 Dougherty was awarded NZL$868,728.80 in ex gratia compensation by New Zealand's government. Ten years after David Dougherty's wrongful conviction, a friend of his, Nicholas Reekie, was convicted in May 2003 of being the actual perpetrator. The story of Dougherty's case was made into a television movie in 2009, "Until Proven Innocent." Dougherty was 50 when he died on April 20, 2017."
Conviction Caused By:	Erroneous eyewitness identification of Dougherty by the victim.
Innocence Proved By:	"Acquitted after a retrial becaue DNA testing of the victim's underwear showed Dougherty could not have been the attacker. The actual culprit, a friend of Dougherty's, was later convicted of the crime."
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:	"NZL$868,728.80 (2001, New Zealand government)"
Was Perpetrator Identified?	Yes
Age When Imprisoned:	26
Age When Released:	30
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	Native
Information Source 1:	""Man wrongly imprisoned for rape get $868,000," The New Zealand Herald, Nov. 7, 2001."
Information Location 1:	http://www.nzherald.co.nz/latestnewsstory.cfm?storyID=199499&thesection=news&thesubsection=general&thesecondsubsection=latest
Information Source 2:	""Man wrongly imprisoned for rape get $868,000," The New Zealand Herald, Nov. 7, 2001."
Information Location 2:	http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?thesection=news&thesubsection=&storyID=199497
Information Source 3:	"10 Years of Guilt Over For Rape Victim, New Zealand Herald, May 31,2003"
Information Location 3:	http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?ObjectID=3504996
Information Source 4:	"David Dougherty, wrongly convicted of rape and abduction, dies after long illness, By Miri Schroeter, Stuff.co.nz, April 28 2017"
Information Location 4:	http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/92036244/man-who-was-wrongly-convicted-of-rape-and-abduction-dies-after-long-illness
Information Source 5:
Information Location 5:
Book About Case:
Book Information:
Book About Case (2):
Book Information (2):
Movie About Case:	Until Proven Innocent (2009)
Comments About Case:	comment

Go to Database Search Page

Go to Database Index Page

David Dougherty

Charge:

Rape and Kidnapping (abduction)

Sentence:

Life Imprisonment

Years Imprisoned:

3.5

Year Crime:

Year Convicted:

1993

Year Cleared:

1997

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

New Zealand

County or Region of Crime:

City of Crime:

West Auckland

Result:

Judicially Exonerated Released

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Erroneous eyewitness identification of Dougherty by the victim.

Innocence Proved By:

"Acquitted after a retrial becaue DNA testing of the victim's underwear showed Dougherty could not have been the attacker. The actual culprit, a friend of Dougherty's, was later convicted of the crime."

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

"NZL$868,728.80 (2001, New Zealand government)"

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Yes

Age When Imprisoned:

26

Age When Released:

30

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

Native

Information Source 1:

""Man wrongly imprisoned for rape get $868,000," The New Zealand Herald, Nov. 7, 2001."

Information Location 1:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/latestnewsstory.cfm?storyID=199499&thesection=news&thesubsection=general&thesecondsubsection=latest

Information Source 2:

""Man wrongly imprisoned for rape get $868,000," The New Zealand Herald, Nov. 7, 2001."

Information Location 2:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?thesection=news&thesubsection=&storyID=199497

Information Source 3:

"10 Years of Guilt Over For Rape Victim, New Zealand Herald, May 31,2003"

Information Location 3:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?ObjectID=3504996

Information Source 4:

"David Dougherty, wrongly convicted of rape and abduction, dies after long illness, By Miri Schroeter, Stuff.co.nz, April 28 2017"

Information Location 4:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/92036244/man-who-was-wrongly-convicted-of-rape-and-abduction-dies-after-long-illness

Information Source 5:

Information Location 5:

Book About Case:

Book Information:

Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

Until Proven Innocent (2009)

Comments About Case:

comment