Family of man wrongly imprisoned on murder charge drops compensation bid
A GRUELLING battle has ended after the family of a Dunedin man wrongly imprisoned for 10 years dropped a compensation bid to avoid ‘‘further heartache’’.
Rex Haig, who moved to Christchurch in his later years, died peacefully at his home in November.
Immediately following Mr Haig’s death, his family was unsure whether they would continue with the compensation case he had been mounting in the preceding months.
When asked by the Otago Daily
his daughter Angela HaigMcAuliffe, of Dunedin, said yesterday the family had decided to drop the bid.
‘‘To us, as a family, it is not about the money, but about knowing in our hearts the story of his innocence and the story of those that are guilty in this.
‘‘We found our way through many difficult times and do not wish for any further heartache for our family.’’
The family made the decision so they did not have to go ‘‘through the pain of being disappointed’’ by the justice system again, she said. Mr Haig was convicted in 1995 for the murder of Mark Roderique and spent 10 years in prison. Mr Roderique went missing on a fishing trip near Westland on Mr Haig’s boat the previous year.
Mr Haig fought to have the murder conviction overturned. After an initial appeal was turned down, the Court of Appeal quashed his conviction in 2006.
His compensation claim the following year was rejected, but last year he worked on mounting a new case.
The Government did ‘‘anything in its power’’ to stop his first compensation bid, Mrs HaigMcAuliffe said.
‘‘Apart from the quashing of his conviction in 2006, the fight has cost all of us dearly and taken its toll on everyone involved.
‘‘We and all of his many supporters know that he was innocent and that’s all that matters to us.’’
It was her understanding the bid could have been continued after his death, she said.
‘‘We were very lucky to have some amazing people looking out for our dad and supporting him in this fight.
‘‘At this juncture, after going through so much in the NZ public eye, we as a family have chosen to close this chapter of our lives.’’
Her father was ‘‘tenacious, strong and fearless but also gentle, funny and quirky’’, she said.
‘‘He had an incredible life with many ups and downs and he valued his family.’’
Mrs HaigMcAuliffe, who is a photographer, said she acquired her passion for the craft from him and cherished the shots she took of her father and children.
The family all came together and looked after each other following his death, she said.
‘‘We still have a journey ahead in bringing peace to our lives but I know he will be looking over us and telling us to be careful on the roads, something he would write in our birthday cards.’’