A man wrongfully convicted of murder will receive a record $5 million in compensation and an apology after spending more than 18 years in prison.
Alan Hall had his conviction for killing 52-year-old Arthur Easton in his Papakura family home in 1985 quashed last year.
This week, Cabinet agreed to a $4,933,725.75 pay-out as compensation for his 19 years spent behind bars, after the Supreme Court last year quashed the conviction, saying key evidence at his trial was "materially altered".
The New Zealand Herald understands Associate Justice Minister Dr Deborah Russell and Secretary of Justice Andrew Kibblewhite met with Hall and his family this morning.
The matter has been delegated to Russell as part of managing the potential conflict with Justice Minister Ginny Andersen’s police portfolio.
"We don’t want this to happen again to anybody," Geoff Hall said.
"It’s a great day for us, a great day for Alan. Alan says ‘hi’.
"Allan Hall can walk around an innocent man. [His mother] would be so proud. Her son has been vindicated. She would be spending a lot of time with Alan, lots of hugs. She would say, ‘I always believed in you, Alan’.
Of the apology from the Crown, the family members said it was "pretty private, but it was heartfelt".
"We have to have some faith in police, conducting two investigations. We need to give them the opportunity to conduct a robust investigation.
"I think the way in which things have happened, starting with Crown Law, the way the Ministry of Justice has dealt with the compensation process, it always feels like it takes too long.
"It’s taken too long, and I think there need to be questions asked about why it took so long. But I think a sense of justice has been restored.
"I think it’s important for all New Zealanders to know what has happened in their judicial system. They need to go through very carefully to highlight the processes."
When asked about how Alan reacted to the apology, family members said he took it "really well".
"He has to rebuild his life, he has dreams. It’s going to take a bit of time to figure out what he wants to do. Next on the agenda is a trip for a birthday party."
Easton and his two teenage sons were attacked in October 1985 by a bayonet-wielding home invader.
Easton was stabbed in his liver during the frenzied attack and died of blood loss after emergency services arrived on the scene.
The murder weapon and a woolly hat were all that was left at the scene by the murderer, who was described to be a Māori man, tall and broad in stature.
Hall, who was yet to be diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, came to police attention two months later because he owned a bayonet and beanie similar to the ones found at the scene, and was walking in the area at the time of the attack.
Extensive police questioning of Hall ensued and investigator Tim McKinnel said the nature of the questioning, and the vulnerability of a man singled out for being different was problematic.
The description of the attacker, and key witness statements from a man who was in the area at the time, were concealed by police, and a jury found Hall guilty of the murder in 1986.
Early last year the Crown accepted that key evidence leading to the identity of the true attacker was "materially" altered, leading to a miscarriage of justice.
In June 2022, Hall’s conviction was finally quashed in the family’s fifth attempt to clear his name.
At the time, Alan’s brother Geoff Hall told Open Justice it was an important step to find out exactly what happened.
"It’s not good enough, they need to open this wide up and find out what happened ... something caused this major failure in the police, court and judicial system and Alan is their victim."
He said 60-year-old Hall and his family remained wounded by the loss of 19 years and the "what ifs".
Hall was 23 when he was sentenced for the murder, with his mother Shirley leading the fight for her son’s appeal right up to 2002.
The first unsuccessful appeal was declined by the Court of Appeal in 1987, and following that Shirley continued to pour her life’s earnings into uncovering the truth.
She constantly advocated for her son, accessed documents that proved details had been omitted from evidence, approached key witnesses and fought for the truth through the media.
Shirley’s son Geoff told Open Justice she used to tell the family: "We have the truth and that’s the only way to live."
In 2002, Geoff took over the fight.
"One of the last promises I made to her moments before she died I said to her ‘I will see this till the end no matter what’'. That was a driving force," Geoff said last year.
Shirley was Hall’s biggest supporter and when she died in 2012 still held the belief her son was an innocent man.
The Hall family believe the attack on the Easton family was not a lone-wolf invasion as was set out at trial. They believe another home invasion committed by three men on the same day has something to do with the death instead.
Geoff says it is painful knowing the courts had information that evidence was omitted at the last two appeals.
"They had this information there ... but they still kept Alan in jail," he said.
"I knew this wasn’t going to be settled for years, our justice system wasn’t prepared to believe they made mistakes."
Hall was released on parole in the 90s after serving nine years but was recalled back to prison in 2012 for a breach.
He was only reunited with his family at the beginning of this year, but since that time his mother passed away.
