David Bain changes name to start afresh
David Bain has embarked on a new life, complete with a new name.
The 45-year-old, who was acquitted of the murder of his family in 2009, has ditched the Bain part of his name and taken the surname of his wife Liz through a deed poll process.
His new name, which is officially recorded on his birth certificate, is William David Cullen Davies. Previously his full name was David Cullen Bain.
It is understood the couple, who have a young child, are now heading for Australia where they intend to start afresh.
Their Christchurch house is on the market for $440,000 and the family have part of $925,000 to spend after the Government made an ex-gratia payment to Bain earlier this year for expenses incurred in his compensation claim.
The claim itself was rejected by Cabinet after former Australian judge Ian Callinan found Bain had not proved his innocence on the balance of probabilities.
The Bain family – Robin, 58, Margaret, 50, Arawa, 19, Laniet, 18 and Stephen, 14, – were fatally shot on June 20, 1994, in their house in Andersons Bay in Dunedin. David Bain was convicted of the murders after a trial in 1995 but the convictions were quashed by the Privy Council in 2007. He was acquitted of the killings after a new trial in Christchurch in 2009.
The defence argued the family was shot by David’s father Robin who, it said, snapped over allegations by Laniet that he was having an incestuous relationship with her.
Bain married Liz Davies in 2014. Their three-bedroom Casebrook home was listed on TradeMe Property, with ‘‘must move’’ in the title, on March 22. The property is in Davies’ name.
David has gone through several name changes in his life. He was born David Bain, but his mother - who was estranged from Robin - changed her children’s surname to Cullen-Bain when the family returned to New Zealand from Papua New Guinea in 1988.
Cullen was Margaret’s maiden name. She was originally from Alexandra.
Davies is an English patronymic surname, usually associated with Wales. It means ‘the son of David’, from the Hebrew name meaning ‘‘beloved’’.
William Davies (formerly David Bain) could not be reached for comment.
David Bain has changed his name to William Davies and he and his family plan to move to Australia to start a new life