Tamihere backer: Hit prison snitch with longer jail term
An inmate whose private prosecution led to the perjury convictions of a prison snitch says the police informant claiming his lies didn’t matter to David Tamihere’s jury “defies common sense”.
In a private prosecution, led by “jailhouse lawyer” Arthur Taylor, Roberto Conchie Harris was last year found guilty on eight perjury charges.
Harris, a double murderer, sex offender and fraudster, was then sentenced for his courtroom lies to eight years and seven months in prison by Justice Christian Whata.
Previously known only as Witness C, Harris was convicted of perjury for his evidence as one of three prison informants during Tamihere’s 1990 trial for the murders of Swedish tourists Urban Hoglin, 23, and Heidi Paakkonen, 21.
Tamihere, who always professed his innocence, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, before being granted parole in 2010.
Last week, Harris’ lawyer, Adam Simperingham, filed his submissions to the Court of Appeal in an attempt to overturn Justice Whata’s “manifestly excessive” sentence.
In the court documents, obtained by the Herald, Simperingham argues the false evidence made no difference to Tamihere’s bid for an acquittal.
“Although the jury deliberations leading to David Tamihere’s convictions will never be known, it is unlikely that [Harris’] evidence played any material role in finding him guilty,” the lawyer said.
But, Taylor told the Herald, those claims were “directly contrary to the evidence of David [Tamihere] and [brother and former politician] John Tamihere” at last year’s trial in the High Court at Auckland.
“It completely defies common sense,” Taylor said. “Let’s understand why [the police] call secret witnesses, it’s generally a lack of other evidence so they’re considered essential to the prosecution’s case.”
Lawyer Murray Gibson, who prosecuted Harris on Taylor’s behalf, also said at trial that the snitch’s false evidence was “powerful”.
Taylor said if Tamihere had been acquitted of the Swedes’ murders, “the bottom line is Harris has been found guilty”.
“He definitely had a major impact on [Tamihere’s] trial and that’s what we will be arguing at the Court of Appeal.
“We’ll actually be arguing that he [Harris] gets a lengthier sentence.”
Harris’ appeal is set to be heard next month.