Watson retrial gets high profile supporter
Stan presses pause on video shoot
ARTHUR Allan Thomas, the man wrongfully jailed for two murders in the 1970s, is lending his support to Scott Watson, calling for a new trial for the convicted killer.
Watson has been in jail since 1999 when he was given a life sentence for the murders of Ben Smart, 21, and Olivia Hope, 17, in the Marlborough Sounds, but has always protested his innocence.
He was declined parole at his first hearing in 2015, however his family have twice contested psychological reports saying they relied on a disputed original that confused him with another inmate born in Australia.
They are currently seeking out the advice of an independent psychologist.
But Thomas said Watson should not be in prison and there were grounds for a new trial.
‘‘Politicians in New Zealand do a great job running our country, getting things right for the people of New Zealand,’’ Thomas said.
‘‘After their day’s work they can go home to their wives and families and hop into a nice, comfortable bed. Scott Watson goes to his prison cell and he gets locked up and told not to speak to anyone about his injustice.
‘‘It’s up to us, the people of New Zealand, to support Scott Watson because he cannot talk. Justice has to be done.’’
The 78-year-old Thomas was twice convicted of the 1970 murders of Jeanette and Harvey Crewe and served nine years in prison before being granted a Royal Pardon in 1979, and a scathing Royal Commission of Inquiry found detectives had planted a rifle cartridge linking him to the scene.
Thomas, his daughter Bridgette and wife Jennifer, will attend a vigil for Watson in Christchurch next month.
Although he had never spoken to Watson, Thomas said his own experiences meant he knew juries and the police could make mistakes. ‘‘I know things can go wrong, that juries can make the wrong verdict. He’d be bloody shattered, I know how he feels, that’s why I’d like to do something about it and try to help him, because I know what it’s like to be in Scott Watson’s shoes.’’
Thomas, who lives on a farm near Taupiri in the Waikato, said he’d long supported Watson and felt there was something wrong with his conviction.
He’s previously lent his support to David Bain, whose convictions for the murder of his family were quashed by the Privy Council in 2007.
New Zealand Public Interest Project trustee Nigel Hampton, QC, said cases like those of Bain and Watson showed there was a need for an independent Criminal Cases Review Commission to review potential miscarriages of justice.
‘‘If you have constant headlines about people like Watson, October, Ellis and Bain, it undermines and gnaws away at public confidence in the system. Why not set up a body that can study and objectively review the whole case and then come back with an authoritative answer.’’ CHART-TOPPING New Zealand pop singer Stan Walker has pressed pause on his latest music video, ahead of an upcoming new single.
It’s understood Walker canned Sunday’s video shoot south of Auckland because of a legal wrangle with a songwriter based in the United States.
Walker, a five-album veteran with several movie credits under his belt, including the critically acclaimed 2016 box office smash Hunt for the Wilderpeople, has a new music tour planned in November.
The star’s management team played down the legal issues, saying the video shoot postponed because the track uses a sample needing ‘‘clearance’’.
A video production industry insider approached said large music video shoots involving several cameras and production units which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and can also rack-up postponement or cancellation costs.
Even a small shoot involving two to three people can cost $10,000 per day, he said.
Music industry lawyer Chris Hocquard said it’s difficult to know exactly what has happened without more information but believes the legal wrangling likely involved money.
‘‘It’s not typical but it does happen this late. The reason it is, it’s a brand new song.’’
Even if recording artists happily collaborate, business interests can get in the way, he said. PETER MEECHAM / FAIRFAX
‘ It’s up to us, the people of New Zealand, to support Scott Watson because he cannot talk. Justice has to be done.’ ARTHUR ALLAN THOMAS
‘‘Creatives get in a room and create something together, it all goes great, they love each other and then at the other end the businessmen get involved, the publicists and the record companies start to look and things can come a little unstuck.’’
‘‘If it’s a dispute over songwriting it’ll be a dispute over the percentages of the song, it’s hard to know, if they’re making a music video the plan is it’s going to be one of Stan’s singles and Stan and his people are probably going ‘well, we’re not going to release a single if we’re not really clear around what the commercial arrangements around the songwriting are’.’’
The Auckland-based lawyer said cancelling a music video can affect an artist’s marketing plan because their new single’s video is often shot just days before the song is packaged ready for its release.
‘‘It won’t be the only song he’s recorded, it’ll just be the first choice, either they’ll resolve this over the next couple of days or move on to the next one.’’
‘ It’s not typical but it does happen this late. The reason is, it’s a brand new song.’ LAWYER CHRIS HOCQUARD