David Bain

David Bain

David Cullen Bain (born 27 March 1972) is a New Zealander who featured in one of the country's most controversial murder cases. He was convicted in May 1995 of the murders of his parents and siblings in Dunedin on 20 June 1994. Bain served 13 and a half years of a life sentence before successfully appealing his original convictions to the Privy Council in May 2007. Finding there had been a substantial miscarriage of justice, the Privy Council quashed his convictions and ordered a retrial. He was bailed to the home of Joe Karam pending the retrial which was held in Christchurch. The second trial ended with his acquittal on all charges in June 2009.

Karam, a former All Black, had supported Bain throughout the numerous appeals and, over the years, wrote a number of books on the case. He raised questions about the quality of the police investigation, the burning down of the Bain house three weeks after the murders, and the admissibility of certain pieces of evidence – which became the focus of many of the appeals.

This was one of New Zealand's most complex and controversial murder cases. It generated thousands of stories in the media and opposing views on whether David was guilty or not. Speculation continued after he was acquitted including whether or not he should receive compensation for the 13 years he spent in prison.