What are the threats related to?

The HoS reports:

 A controversial lawyer has contacted police after receiving chilling death and rape threats over her fight to clear the name of a convicted murderer and rapist.

Except the threats are not over the fight to clear his name, it is over the charges laid against her for allegedly smuggling contraband to him.

Regardless it must be stressed any threats of violence are wrong and repugnant. Those who want to express their displeasure can do so without lowering themselves in such a way.

Davina Murray is crusading on behalf of Liam Reid, who is serving a 23-year sentence for brutally raping and slaying deaf woman Emma Agnew in Christchurch in 2007, and the rape, attempted murder and robbery of a 21-year-old student in Dunedin nine days later.

Murray, who is facing two charges of allegedly smuggling Reid an iPhone, cigarettes and a lighter at Mt Eden prison last October, visited Reid 80 times over nine months last year.

I suspect that is what had led to anger, rather than merely campaigning to “clear” his name.

Murray said she first received abuse from the same person in April, the day after she lost a bid for her continued name suppression at Auckland’s High Court over the smuggling allegations.

The first email, dated April 17, said: “You’re no better than he is. When you are sentenced you should get your wish and be chucked in the cell with the creep and you can find out first hand what he did to his victim.”

“I had told the High Court that releasing my name and that of Liam Reid could compromise my personal safety, but that was ignored,” she told the Herald on Sunday.

“Since then I have been used to people shouting things like ‘you smuggler’ at me when I am at work.

That is not a case for name suppression. That is a case for not smuggling things into prison (if the allegations are correct and hold up in court).