More Urerewa charges dropped

Stuff reports:

The Crown has dropped charges against 11 of the Urewera 15 who were charged following the 2007 “terror raids”.

The Crown Solicitor has issued a statement saying only four of the group – Tame Iti, Emily Bailey, Te Rangikaiwhiria Kemara and Urs Singer – will face trial for participation in a criminal group and firearms charges.

The other 11, who will be discharged in a court hearing soon, only faced firearms charges.

Crown Solicitor Simon Moore said the effect of a recent Supreme Court ruling on the case – which is suppressed – was that the others would have to be tried separately after the main trial.

That would be four and a half years after they were charged and so was not practical or in the interests of justice. 

You have to give the defence lawyers credit. They appeal everything to the Supreme Court numerous times, and then because so much time has lapsed since they were charged, the charges get dropped.

It’s much the same strategy as was used with the Zaoui case.