Long road to justice
Redman was convicted in 2007 because he was thought to have been part of a group assault at a 21st birthday party in Mt Roskill which involved people wielding wooden blocks and baseball bats.
It was not until 2013 – after he had served a full sentence and been released – that his conviction was wiped when it emerged he was not present when the assault took place.
He had immediately appealed the original decision, but the attempt by his former lawyer Barry Hart to challenge the Crown witnesses as unreliable failed.
It was followed in 2009 by an application to the Governor-General for the rare use of the “royal prerogative of mercy”.
That saw the Ministry of Justice review his file, then recommend that the new evidence should be heard in a fresh 2013 Court of Appeal decision. The Court of Appeal overturned Redman’s convictions, saying the Crown case was not strong and the witnesses could lead a jury to find “reasonable doubt”.
While a new trial would normally take place, the court stated there was no point as Redman had served his sentence.
In July 2015 the then Justice Minister, Amy Adams, asked Donald Stevens QC to provide independent advice on the application. His first report in early 2017 concluded that, on the balance of probabilities, Redman was innocent of the wounding and injuring charges. Stevens’ second report recommended that the Government pay compensation to Redman.