Alan Hall Case: Police Accused of Perverting Justice

Two unnamed police officers are facing trial for allegedly withholding vital evidence that led to the wrongful conviction of Alan Hall in 1985. The Crown alleges the officers deliberately suppressed a witness statement identifying the suspect as a large Māori man, directly contradicting Hall's physical appearance as a slight Pākehā man. This trial highlights a profound failure of systemic accountability in New Zealand's justice system.

What evidence was withheld in the Alan Hall case?

The core of the prosecution rests on the testimony of witness Ronald Turner. On the night of 13 October 1985, Turner saw a man running across Clevedon Road near the Papakura home of Arthur Easton, who had been murdered. Turner explicitly told police the person he saw was a large Māori man. Alan Hall, however, was a 5' 7