A man given compensation for wrongful imprisonment 15 years ago says Teina Pora has been ripped off.
Mr Pora has been offered $2.5 million in compensation for wrongly serving 21 years behind bars. The Government arrived at that amount using the compensation guideline of $100,000 per year of imprisonment.
Meanwhile, David Dougherty was given almost $870,000 after serving three years in prison.
Mr Dougherty, acquitted of the abduction and rape of an 11-year-old girl in 2000, says Mr Pora has been short-changed.
"This guy is getting doubly ripped off," he says.
"First of all he was in prison for something that he didn't do, and then they're trying to say they're working to a formula of $100,000 [a year], 15 years after they paid me $250,000 a year."
"Fifteen years since I received compensation, you'd expect it to be higher, rather than lower than what I got," Mr Dougherty says.
"What is the difference between his case and my own? I don't feel that he's been treated fairly."
In 2001 -- the year Mr Dougherty was compensated -- the rules were revised to $100,000 per year of imprisonment. The Government isn't ruling out a review of the guideline in future.
Mr Pora spent 21 years behind bars for the 1992 rape and murder of Auckland woman Susan Burdett, before ultimately having his convictions quashed by the Privy Council.
His legal team say they're disappointed with the amount of money on offer. They'd argued for more, pointing to the amounts others had received and taking into account the consumer price index.
Mr Pora and his team will now consider the offer.
Newshub.
