James Louis Mason

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Charge:	Assault (Including Battery)
Sentence:	9 months probation
Years Imprisoned:
Year Crime:	2009
Year Convicted:	2009
Year Cleared:	2010
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	New Zealand
County or Region of Crime:
City of Crime:	Christchurch
Result:	Judicially Exonerated
Summary of Case:	"James Louis Mason was wrongly convicted on May 19, 2009 of assault for pulling his 4-year-old son's hair and flicking his ear in December 2007 to keep him from getting into a dangerous situation on his bike. James Mason, 53, was one of the first people prosecuted under New Zealand's new tough "anti-smacking" law that criminalizes previous legal disciplining of children by a parent. Mason was sentenced to 9 months supervison (probation) and programs they ordered him to take. On November 3, 2010, New Zealand's Supreme Court overturned Mason's convictions. The Court ruled that it was unknown what the jury convicted Mason of, since he was charged with two counts, but they only found him guilty of one unspecified count. "
Conviction Caused By:
Innocence Proved By:	"On November 3, 2010, New Zealand's Supreme Court overturned Mason's convictions."
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:
Was Perpetrator Identified?
Age When Imprisoned:	53
Age When Released:
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	White
Information Source 1:	"Dad wins appeal over judge's assault case gaffe, By Claire Trevett (staff), New Zealand Herald, November 4, 2010"
Information Location 1:	http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10685199
Information Source 2:	"Ear-flick' father guilty of assault for punching son, By Jarrod Booker (staff), New Zealand Herald, May 20, 2010"
Information Location 2:	http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10573340
Information Source 3:	"Dad fears assault conviction will plague him, By Giles Brown (staff), The Press (Wellington, NZL), November 4, 2010"
Information Location 3:	http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4305636/Dad-fears-assault-case-will-plague-him
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James Louis Mason

Charge:

Assault (Including Battery)

Sentence:

9 months probation

Years Imprisoned:

Year Crime:

2009

Year Convicted:

2009

Year Cleared:

2010

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

New Zealand

County or Region of Crime:

City of Crime:

Christchurch

Result:

Judicially Exonerated

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Innocence Proved By:

"On November 3, 2010, New Zealand's Supreme Court overturned Mason's convictions."

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

53

Age When Released:

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

White

Information Source 1:

"Dad wins appeal over judge's assault case gaffe, By Claire Trevett (staff), New Zealand Herald, November 4, 2010"

Information Location 1:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10685199

Information Source 2:

"Ear-flick' father guilty of assault for punching son, By Jarrod Booker (staff), New Zealand Herald, May 20, 2010"

Information Location 2:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10573340

Information Source 3:

"Dad fears assault conviction will plague him, By Giles Brown (staff), The Press (Wellington, NZL), November 4, 2010"

Information Location 3:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4305636/Dad-fears-assault-case-will-plague-him

Information Source 4:

Information Location 4:

Information Source 5:

Information Location 5:

Book About Case:

Book Information:

Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

Comments About Case: