A 3 News/Reid Research poll has found a clear majority of New Zealanders believe David Bain should be paid compensation, which might cost the taxpayer around $1 million.
Almost everybody in New Zealand has an opinion about Mr Bain and whether he deserves a compensation payout for wrongful imprisonment, after eventually being acquitted of the mass murder of his family.
It is no surprise Mr Bain's advocate Joe Karam reckons the public is on his side.
"Every man in the street, in my experience, is almost unilaterally behind that David Bain should be paid," says Mr Karam.
At least one person claims not to have an opinion. That is Justice Minister Judith Collins.
"I don't have personal views on this," she says.
But plenty of others do. And with the Government considering whether to pay Mr Bain an estimated $1 million in compensation after the jury at his retrial found him not guilty, we asked: should Mr Bain receive a payout? In the end, 57 percent said yes and 32 percent said no. The rest didn't know.
Mr Karam says he is not surprised at all.
"At the end of the day this is not a matter of popularity contest," says Ms Collins. "This is a matter of administration of justice."
That administrative process saw retired Canadian Judge Ian Binnie recommend Mr Bain get compensation. But Ms Collins very publicly binned it to start again.
"Everywhere I go people are actually disgusted that the Government hasn't honoured Justice Binnie's report," says Mr Karam. "Presumably the Justice Minister didn't like his report, so here we are."
Mr Bain has now gone back to court to challenge Ms Collins' ditching of Justice Binnie's report. The judicial review will be heard in four months' time. Until then, Ms Collins says she won't indulge the court of public opinion.
What Ms Collins and the Government do next with Mr Bain's claim is on hold. But as for her claim public opinion doesn't come into it, just remember politics is all about public opinion, and this poll shows paying compensation may not be so unpopular after all.
3 News
source: newshub archive
