Two former fire systems contractors have been jailed for stripping buildings of potentially life-saving firefighting equipment.

Courts can make mistakes. The High Court at Auckland has surely made an egregious one in a case we have reported today.

A 31-year-old woman fraudulently obtained $38,000 in benefits over a three-year period. What sentence should she get? You be the judge.

Convicted double murderer David Tamihere has been found not guilty of breaching his parole conditions after an "incredibly stupid" crime scene fly-over with a TV crew.

Assaults, sex offences, fraud and burglary are among almost 2900 crimes which went unpunished, according to the latest statistics.

At present, 72 per cent of NZs judges are male and 28 per cent are female, writes Catriona MacLennan. NZ has a long way to go, both in terms of gender and of ethnicity, but recognising the issue would be a good start.

A relative of the 9-year-old Raetihi boy - who died after he had allegedly been given a dose of methadone - hopes an arrest over the death will end speculation.

A globetrotting conman who came to New Zealand on a purported $69 million property spending spree will spend the next 14 years in prison in the United Kingdom.

Each judgment is an exercise in risk management. Judges have to decide what risk is posed by having an alleged offender await trial in the community instead of prison.

The decision to give Michael Curran bail was legally sound, says University of Auckland criminal law expert Warren Brookbanks.

Judges are pledging greater openness and better information for the public about the administration of justice in New Zealand to meet a rising clamour for accountability.

Judges are facing the biggest overhaul of accountability in decades, with the Cabinet considering legal changes that would compel the judiciary to publish annual reports, bring transparency to judicial appointments and attempt to stem criticism.

Swift analysis can help police try to stop crimes and even catch offenders in the act. Jared Savage investigates.

A victim advocacy group is refusing to remove the name and photo of a convicted paedophile from its website despite an accusation by the Human Rights Commission.

Dozens of serving and former police officers turned out today to farewell Bruce Hutton, who was infamously accused of planting the evidence in the Crewe murder case.

The policeman found to have planted evidence that led to the wrongful conviction of Arthur Allan Thomas for the murders of Harvey and Jeannette Crewe has died.

People who are forced to represent themselves in court as legal aid budgets are cut should not attempt to imitate the fast-talking lawyers they see on television.

An Auckland lawyer has been censured and fined after his firm prepared an affidavit for a man who was about to retract evidence against one of his clients.

Police broadly do the best they can, but are continually let down by soft-touch judges and the mental health system.

A billion-dollar lawsuit against New Zealand's banks could have an impact on their bottom line profits but the banks' lobby group says it has doubts over the claim gaining traction.

The Pacific Blue airline pilot convicted of flying carelessly out of Queenstown made a series of mistakes that "seriously impacted" on safety margins, says a judge.

The chief judge of the District Court is finalising a proposal to subject New Zealand's 133 district court judges to performance reviews and greater public scrutiny.

Eight men accused of an alleged Auckland Super City voter scam have had their trial shifted to the High Court.

it's a common misunderstanding that the jury must decide whether the person is "innocent".

The diary of one of the royal commissioners who found police had planted evidence against Arthur Allan Thomas focuses scepticism on the detective who led the murder inquiry.

A murderer serving a life sentence should be considered for laser treatment to remove his gang tattoos to help his community reintegration, says the Parole Board.

The man behind Mark Lundy's last-ditch bid for freedom says he is confident the Privy Council will quash the jailed killer's murder convictions.