The Minister of Justice, Simon Power, has this afternoon received a letter from the lawyers for David Bain formally notifying him of a claim for compensation for ‘wrongful conviction and imprisonment.'
Mr Bain was convicted in 1995 of murdering five members of his family in Dunedin.
In 2007, the Privy Council quashed his convictions on the grounds of a substantial miscarriage of justice and ordered a retrial. In June 2009, he was found not guilty at a retrial.
"There is a process now to work through and I will not be making any further comment at this time," Mr Power said.
Asked by NZPA how much compensation was being claimed, Bain's retrial counsel Michael Reed QC said he did not want to add to what Mr Power had said.
"We are seeking dialogue with the minister as to a way forward," Mr Reed said.
An online petition opposing compensation for Mr Bain tonight had 1355 signatures.
The petition, addressed to Mr Power, is organised by the Justice for Robin Bain Group, whose spokesman Kent Parker said he expected more signatures now the application for compensation had gone through to the minister.
"Obviously there's quite a bit of interest," he said.
David Bain's lawyers contended at his retrial that his father, Robin, killed his mother and three siblings before committing suicide.
