Contradictory stories in NZ Herald

Today John Roughan writes about how he, like many people, knew about the Mt Maunganui rape convictions.

But Roughan asserts:

And you can guarantee the jury did not know. If the defendants’ lawyers had got the slightest suspicion that any word of their clients’ convictions had reached a juror they would have had the trial aborted.

Yet the NZ Herald reported yesterday that

Brad Shipton’s brother-in-law Chris Foot told Newstalk ZB: “Jury members approached our family last night, yesterday evening, and actually said that they did know.

And Peter Winter, past president of the Criminal Bar Association, said:

“No one in their right mind could believe that the jury didn’t know about Shipton and Schollum’s previous conviction,”

So does John Roughan not read the stories in his own newspaper, or does he just not believe them? 🙂

I personally am with Peter Winter and would be amazed if at least some of the jurors did not know.