The High Court trial for two men charged in connection with the wrongful murder conviction of Alan Hall has been postponed after one of the defendants became unwell. The men face charges of perverting the course of justice in the case of Hall, who spent 19 years in prison for a murder he did not commit.
Alan Hall Case: Trial Delayed
The trial was originally scheduled to begin last Monday but was delayed upon learning of the defendant’s health issues. Defence lawyer David Jones KC confirmed today that his client remains unfit to stand trial.
Hall was convicted in 1985 of the murder of Auckland man Arthur Easton. His conviction was ultimately quashed by the Supreme Court in 2022. He received a record $4.9 million in compensation for the wrongful conviction, the highest amount ever awarded in New Zealand.
Two men had pleaded not guilty to charges of wilfully perverting the course of justice. Their names and occupations remain suppressed. A third man initially charged in the case died in 2024.
Justice Gault has set a new trial date of June 15. Hall’s case is considered one of New Zealand’s worst miscarriages of justice, with his name only being cleared in 2023, when he was 60 years old. The murder of Arthur Easton remains unsolved.
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