More than three decades after one of Aotearoa’s most controversial murder cases, David Tamihere’s double murder convictions have been quashed by the Supreme Court.
Tamihere was convicted in 1990 of murdering Swedish tourists Urban Höglin and Heidi Paakkonen, who disappeared in the Coromandel in 1989. He has always maintained his innocence, despite serving around 20 years in prison.
The Supreme Court decision marks a dramatic turning point in the long-running case, which has raised serious questions over the reliability of key evidence presented at trial.
Central to the case were issues around witness testimony and the use of prison informant evidence, which was later discredited. Courts had previously acknowledged problems with that evidence, describing it as contributing to a miscarriage of justice, but earlier appeals stopped short of overturning the convictions.
The case was eventually referred back through the courts after new concerns were raised about the fairness of the original trial and the strength of the remaining evidence.
Tamihere’s legal team argued that multiple flaws in the case, including unreliable witnesses and disputed identification evidence, meant the convictions could no longer be considered safe.
The decision to quash the convictions now places the case among a number of high-profile miscarriages of justice in Aotearoa, renewing scrutiny on how the justice system handles complex and historic cases.
The ruling is expected to have significant implications, both for Tamihere and for wider discussions about accountability, evidence standards and fairness within the criminal justice system.
