Johnson and Knight - false imprisonment.

More on this subject, the recent Sunday night show on this bleak episode of NZ Justice recorded a number of the reasons why the men were compensated. This included video footage of them in a service station at a time which precluded them from having started the fire, that alone shows the corruption of this case and the reveals the number of people who 'look away' from anything disturbing about the nature of the now quashed convictions. Additionally, it was a revealed there was a matter which was being kept confidential that also 'proved' the men's innocence.

Some will recall that the two mothers in this case researched recent arson records for the Foxton area and other relevant information as part of their crusade to have their sons set free. Why there should need to be anything kept secret (and probably an agreement forced upon the young men - if they wanted to be compensated)just adds to concerns that there has been a 'sell off' of some discription - a deal done to prevent the men speaking out on some information they might have. A situation of this nature doesn't restore any confidence, even when putting aside the fact that the OIC of the case remains in the police fold.

I will remind others that when Jaden Knight was standing on the steps of Parliament having received an 'apology' from Simon Power, the poster boy of the Sensible Sentencing Trust and the author of draconian statutes that have 'refined' some of our laws back to the dark ages, he spoke of feeling like being 'bullied' again. What bullying could have happened during the progress of his apology and compensation other than 'having' to agree to not speak out on some matters relevant to the case?

Well, I have two. Either that somebody else has been convicted, charged or admitted in some way responsibility for the Foxton arson. I could be completely wrong, but that is the difficulty when a Government try to extract themselves from a Miscarriage of Justice without full disclosure. Simon Power, who probably cooked his own goose (and hence his surprise announcement of retiring from politics) because of his unhealthy association with Garth McVicar, David Garrett and other crooks who manipulated the public (and John Key) it seems with morbid pleas to the vulnerable by heightening fear - is now seen as the Minister who apologised for matters which were of public record but refusing to do so over matters, necessarily made 'secret' and to be kept from the public.

I'd like to see Jaden Knight or one of the mothers speak out on what 'can't' be disclosed and to hell with the secret agreement. This secret agreement has all the hallmarks of the 2 men being bullied into silence (remember one of them, Johnston - didn't even bother attending Parliament to met the the 'glorious' Minister.) Then we would see if the Government had the temerity to try to enforce their 'insistance' (contract) of silence, that would be another court case against the odds (and fairness and Justice) that the 2 men would win.