Arthur Easton's family react to quashing of Alan Hall murder conviction
Thursday, 9 June 2022
The family of Arthur Easton, who was murdered in 1985, say they are “shaken and appalled” that evidence was manipulated in order to convict a man for their father’s death.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court quashed Alan Hall’s conviction for murdering Easton, saying a substantial miscarriage of justice had occurred.
Hall had served nearly 19 years in prison for the crime, which he always denied.
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On Thursday, Arthur Easton’s family made its first comment, saying the quashing of Hall’s conviction was “the first step in righting the serious harm that has been caused not only to Alan but his entire family.
“Our hearts go out to Alan, his late mother and family.
Hall was 23 when police alleged he attacked Arthur Easton, 52, and his teenage sons, Brendan and Kim, in their Papakura home, stabbing them with a bayonet, and leaving Arthur to bleed to death in his hallway.
The father-of-five was a chief technician with the New Zealand Post Office and responsible for hundreds of staff and all telecommunications infrastructure in South Auckland.
The Easton family attended Wednesday’s Supreme Court hearing in Wellington via video.
“While we commend the Crown for expediting the appeal by conceding that a ‘substantial miscarriage of justice’ occurred in Alan Hall’s case and recommending that his conviction be quashed, we are shaken and appalled by the revelations of deliberate manipulation and non-disclosure of evidence by the police and prosecution, not only at the initial trial but also during the 1987 appeal.
“Our family had placed our trust in the criminal justice system, and it has failed both families. We appreciate the Crown’s statement that this police conduct may be subject to a separate inquiry, and we join with the Hall family in support of a full inquiry.”
The Easton family thanked investigator Tim McKinnel, Alan Hall, his family, and all his supporters for bringing the facts of what happened during the investigation and trial to light.
“The Police have agreed to meet with our family in the near future to discuss next steps to right this miscarriage. Our expectation is this will include reopening the investigation to bring the real killer to justice.”
On Thursday, Solicitor-General Una Jagose announced she was launching an investigation into the Crown’s role in Hall’s wrongful conviction.
“The Solicitor-General is responsible for the conduct of Crown prosecutions, and I am determined to find out why and how Mr Hall, Mr Easton, and both their families have been so severely let down by the justice system.
“My focus now is on understanding how the Crown’s role in this miscarriage occurred and why the criminal justice system failed to remedy it earlier.”