$440k and rising: killer's legal aid bill

Clayton Weatherston during his murder trial. Photo / supplied

Convicted killer Clayton Weatherston's legal aid bill has passed $440,000, with more invoices due.

The former University of Otago economics tutor is serving a minimum jail term of 18 years for the murder of 22-year-old Sophie Elliott in her Dunedin home on January 9, 2008.

Her father Gil told the Otago Daily Times Weatherston "did not deserve that kind of money spent on him".

This week, a Ministry of Justice spokesman confirmed that Weatherston's legal aid bill stood at $444,981.

Last year, his appeal against conviction was dismissed by the Court of Appeal and he later applied to the Supreme Court for leave to appeal against that ruling. That application was dismissed in September.

The ministry has processed invoices worth $44,636 for the Court of Appeal proceedings. The bill for the murder trial stands at $400,344 but a final invoice has yet to arrive.

Other than lawyers' time, legal-aid grants may include the cost of expert witnesses, forensic tests, investigators and office costs.

Legal Aid Services director Michele McCreadie said that until July 1 last year, there was no requirement for legal-aid lawyers to invoice within a specific timeframe, and their invoicing practices varied.

They are now required under the Legal Services Act 2011 to send in their invoices within a specific timeframe, currently three months.

Mr Elliott said he was unhappy with the amount paid for Weatherston's defence.

On Thursday, Mr Elliott appeared before Parliament's justice and electoral committee, which is considering the Victims of Crime Reform Bill.

If passed, it would give victims more freedom in court impact statements, and change the information received during proceedings.

- Otago Daily Times