Money wanted for years spent in jail
A Christchurch man who wrongly spent three years in jail on sex charges after a judge made a procedural error is seeking hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation.
Mervyn Finlayson, 60 — a stroke victim with a serious heart condition — was jailed for six years in 2000 on charges of indecently assaulting a boy aged nine, inducing the boy to do an indecent act on him, and two charges of sodomy.
Finlayson’s appeal said the trial judge in his case, Colin Doherty, made a procedural error by failing to provide balancing evidence from the defence case when he replayed the boy’s evidential video to the jury during its deliberations.
$5 says this judge will not apologise to Mervyn. Suggest judge be sentenced to 5 days community service in prison for his ‘procedural error.’
Comment by Don Hudson — Tue 24th August 2004 @ 12:26 am
if the judge makes errors like this how do other defendents stand a chance ie; John Lawernce (1 sept 06) 8 years prison for sex attack on 22yr old male but no evidence to back it up, just the 22yr old males word.
Comment by spot29 — Fri 1st September 2006 @ 7:56 pm
Procedural Error? OK thats fine…….does that mean the evidence stacked up?
Comment by Colin Dougherty — Thu 28th April 2011 @ 8:43 am