NZ's first majority verdict to be appealed

File photo / Richard Robinson

New Zealand's first majority jury verdict is set to be appealed by Dieter Rudolf Bedenknecht who was convicted on Friday of being an on-line auction cheat.

Christchurch District Court staff have now confirmed it was the first majority verdict, delivered only five days after the law was changed to allow verdicts where one juror disagreed with the rest.

Bedenknecht, a German immigrant, aged in his 60s, was found guilty on two charges of dishonestly using documents relating to the on-line auction of stamp albums.

Defence counsel Tony Greig announced the appeal after Bedenknecht was fined at his sentencing today by Judge Gary MacAskill.

Bedenknecht sold two stamp collections on-line and the buyers - one of them former Fair Go television reporter Peter Cronshaw - said it was clear that many of the stamps in the collection had been swapped or omitted.

They compared the collections that arrived with the photographs that had been displayed on-line during the auctions.

Mr Greig said Bedenknecht had been forbidden to trade on Ebay and Trade Me and has lost his livelihood. He maintained his innocence and was disappointed in the jury.

Judge MacAskill said Bedenknecht had extensive trading records and no previous convictions, although some people were not happy with their dealings with him.

He fined him $1250 on each charge and ordered reparation of $50 for postage for Mr Cronshaw and A$440 to the overseas buyer.

Both the stamp albums were to be returned to Bedenknecht after the expiration of the appeal period, said Judge MacAskill.

- NZPA