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David Bain legal bill tops $3 million

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David Bain legal bill tops $3 million

3News NZ

David Bain said he never entertained the thought that he would be convicted

David Bain said he never entertained the thought that he would be convicted

The legal aid bill for David Bain was the highest for an individual in New Zealand at $3.3 million.

Bain was convicted in 1995 of murdering his family in Dunedin and was acquitted in a 2009 retrial.

The last High Court retrial cost $2.3 million, the Otago Daily Times reported. Of that lawyers' fees were $1.4 million.

The figures were released under the Official Information Act.

Bain is not receiving legal aid to assist with an application for compensation, the newspaper reported.

Bain said in a speech to an international justice conference in Perth last month that his whole family had been killed by shots to the head in various states of wakefulness.

"In May 1995, not only had I lost my family, all I owned, all I had known of life in New Zealand but I had been charged and convicted of the worst crime possible. New Zealand's system had decided I was guilty of taking the lives of all those I loved," he said.

He said he never entertained the thought that he would be convicted.

NZN

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Comments

2/05/2012 2:49:19 p.m.

Mike wrote:

An example of a court result 'purchased' in NZ.

As with anything, money speaks and all that legal aid spoke volumes. Not only did we have a hasbeen all black banging away we had the taxpayer pay for it.

When legal aid is this much, its nolonger a fair trial - its a defence circus which will purchase experts to justify anything. Similar court cases like OJ Simpson are laughed about for them happening overseas - yet we have the same here. But its not the wealthy buying the result, its anyone with legal aid!

Then again recently was the case in New York about an EU offical doing untoward actions towards the cleaner. Buy a campaign to discredit the cleaner and get off the charges. Had a similar smear campaign against Robin Bain - but wait someone murdered him so he couldn't defend himself publicly!

Talking of New York, we had someone connected at the highest levels of the then Labour Government who had their passport revoked so they couldn't use commercial transport due to allegations of sex crimes. We sent over a RNZAF plane to flee them from justice, one rule for the Labour connected, another for the rest of NZ ...

Was said that all Evil needs is for people to stand around and do nothing. Reminds me of what Labour/Greens did over Sanlu while Chinese babies were dying - they swept it under the carpet doing nothing as human life when it was Chinese lives was unimportantant to them.

29/04/2012 12:56:36 p.m.

Katherine wrote:

David Bain does not deserve one cent of compensation. He is an embarrassment - watching him talking in Perth WA recently confirmed it for us. We as taxpayers do not want our money to go any compensation package for him.

29/04/2012 10:58:43 a.m.

Pauline wrote:

Over one thousand people apply for jobs in a Dunedin Supermarket and David Bain's legal aid tops over 3 million.

28/04/2012 4:33:43 p.m.

Jim Seaview wrote:

Quote: "The last High Court retrial cost $2.3 million, the Otago Daily Times reported. Of that lawyers' fees were $1.4 million.

The figures were released under the Official Information Act."


I see the Legal Aid gravy train is the most used public transport system in NZ.

If only Auckland and other cities could get the same patronage on their trains and transport systems, then NZ would not have to spend as much on future roading infrastructure projects.

As usual the Lawyers got over half of the costs supplied by the hard working taxpayer of Mr Bains conviction and re-trials etc.