Police Commissioner Andrew Coster apologises to Alan Hall for wrongful imprisonment on murder of Arthur Easton

• Police Commissioner Andrew Coster has personally apologised to Alan Hall for his wrongful conviction and imprisonment for murder
• Hall’s conviction was overturned in 2022 after 37 years, after the Supreme Court ruled key evidence at trial was “materially altered”
• Two police staff and one Crown prosecutor have been charged over the botched case

The Police Commissioner has met with Alan Hall to apologise for the investigation failures that led to him being wrongfully imprisoned for murder for 19 years.

Hall was 23 years old when he was accused of murdering Papakura man Arthur Easton in a violent home invasion in October 1985.

He was convicted in 1986 and spent nearly two decades behind bars — and nearly four decades fighting to clear his name of a murder he did not commit.

His conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2022, with the panel of judges ruling key evidence at his trial was “materially altered”.

Alan Hall had his conviction quashed after five appeals. Photo / Greg Bowker

Two former police staff members and a former Crown prosecutor have now been charged over the case, one of New Zealand’s most high-profile miscarriages of justice. Hall also received a nearly $5 million compensation payout from the Government.

Today, police announced in a statement that Commissioner Andrew Coster had met with Hall to apologise over the case.

“This week I met with Alan and his family and apologised on behalf of police for the shortcomings in our original investigation that led to his wrong conviction,” Coster said in the statement.

“I am grateful to Alan and his family, who have been a great support to him, for meeting with me and accepting our apology.

“Police continue to investigate.

As matters pertaining to this case are still before the court it would not be appropriate for me to comment any further.”

Brother Geoff Hall said in a family statement “Alan really appreciates and thanks the Commissioner and the investigation teams for meeting with him”.

He said the apology marked another milestone for Hall and the family in “acknowledging the injustices of the past”.

“Our family appreciates the work the police have committed to these investigations.”

The murder of Arthur Easton

Easton, 52, and his two teenage sons were attacked in October 1985 by a bayonet-wielding home invader.

He was stabbed in his liver during the frenzied attack and died of blood loss after emergency services arrived on the scene.

The murder weapon and a woolly hat were all that was left at the scene by the killer, described to be a Māori man, tall and broad in stature.

Hall, who was later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, came to police attention two months later because he owned a bayonet and beanie similar to the ones found at the scene, and was walking in the area at the time of the attack.

The description of the attacker and key witness statements from a man who was in the area at the time were concealed by police, and a jury found Hall guilty of the murder in 1986.

In June 2022, Hall’s conviction was finally quashed in the family’s fifth attempt to clear his name.