Pora goes to the Privy Council

The Herald reports:

Convicted murderer Teina Pora has formally begun his Privy Council appeal process.

Pora’s lawyers Jonathan Krebs, Ingrid Squire and Tim McKinnel this afternoon filed Pora’s application for leave to further appeal against his convictions for the rape and murder of Susan Burdett and for aggravated burglary in 1992.

The London-based council’s judicial committee will now consider whether Pora should be permitted to argue his appeal.

If leave is granted, his lawyers are hopeful an appeal can be heard early next year. …

Pora’s could be the last appeal from New Zealand to be heard at the Privy Council, Britain’s highest court. His application has gone there because he started the appeal process before the establishment of the Supreme Court in 2004 – now the final court of appeal for New Zealanders.

I think that is the right decision – one should exhaust appeal rights before you look at other avenues.

I suspect the law lords will grant leave, as they probably miss hearing cases from the old colonies 🙂