Tamihere appeal delayed for two years
David Tamihere, who was convicted of murdering Swedish tourists Urban Hoglin and Heidi Paakkonen in 1989, has had his appeal delayed for more than two years because the Crown is carrying out new DNA testing on crucial evidence.
Tamihere served 20 years in prison for the backpackers’ murders, but has always denied being guilty, and the case remains one of the country’s most controversial homicides.
In April 2020, the Minister of Justice and Governor-General referred Tamihere’s case back to the Court of Appeal because of concerns with the convictions’ safety.
However, the appeal has still not been heard, and a date for it remains to be set, because the Crown has requested new forensic tests on exhibits from the 1989 investigation.
Crown Law, which is responsible for criminal prosecutions in New Zealand, blamed the delay on Covid-19 lockdowns, locating exhibits, and obtaining court direction to allow re-testing, among other things.
‘‘The process of extracting DNA from the exhibits is now nearing completion.
‘‘If any usable DNA is obtained, a further process will be undertaken to compare it to relevant DNA samples.
‘‘The Crown is committed to ensuring the Court of Appeal has before it all the relevant information it needs to determine whether a miscarriage of justice has occurred in this case.’’
Tamihere was on the run from police, and living off the land in the Coromandel area in April 1989, after skipping bail on a rape charge. He became the prime suspect in the investigation into Hoglin and Paakkonen’s disappearance, after it was discovered he had stolen their car, which had been parked at the start of a rugged walking track.
Police claimed Tamihere murdered the couple near Crosbies Clearing, 12km north-east of Thames, stole Hoglin’s watch and gave it to his son, and took their car and possessions.
Their case relied on identification evidence from two trampers, and three jailhouse snitches who claimed Tamihere confessed to the murders while in prison.
However, the police theory was seriously undermined the year after Tamihere was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison, when Hoglin’s body was found in a shallow grave more than 70km away, on the other side of the Coromandel, near Whangamatā .