DTNZ: Tamihere murder convictions quashed after 36 years

David Tamihere’s convictions for the 1989 murders of Swedish backpackers Urban Höglin and Heidi Paakkonen have been overturned by the Supreme Court, which ruled his original 1990 trial was fundamentally unfair due to perjured evidence and major changes in the Crown’s case.

The court found that the prosecution’s theory had been significantly altered over time, introducing new locations and unanswered questions that had never been tested before a jury, and concluded that only a retrial could properly determine guilt .

While a retrial has been directed, the final decision rests with the Crown, which must now assess whether sufficient admissible evidence remains and whether proceeding is in the public interest

Daily Telegraph New Zealand (DTNZ) is an independent news website, first published in October 2021. - where this article was sourced.