An Auckland man wrongly jailed for more than a year is likely soon to receive compensation from the Government.
Justice Minister Phil Goff is to take a paper to the cabinet proposing the payment. The man, whose name is suppressed, served 14 months for sexually abusing his sons before being cleared.
While
in Opposition Mr Goff pursued the case, in which both sons had accused their father of abuse after spending a year in counselling.
An IHC worker was later jailed for the abuse, which continued while the father was in prison.
Mr Goff has received a QC's report and said his officials were working on a paper to determine the level of compensation.
The payment, if approved, is thought to be the first since the $1 million paid to Arthur Thomas, wrongly convicted of the 1970 murders of Harvey and Jeanette Crewe.
Mr Goff said a ruling on another case - that of David Dougherty, jailed for 31/2 years for raping an 11-year-old girl - awaited the results of fresh DNA tests in Australia.
- NZPA
