David Bain - Second Trial

Second Trial

The retrial was held in Christchurch in 2009. It ended with Bain's acquittal on all five charges in June 2009 after five hours and 50 minutes of deliberations. Each verdict of not guilty for the five murders was greeted with cheers and applause by those in court. Further clapping and cheering could be heard as the judge left the room. Outside court an emotional David Bain thanked his supporters, particularly Joe Karam. "Without Joe and his solid strength ... I wouldn't have made it through this far," Bain said. About 50 media personnel were at the High Court to cover the trial and it was reported that television coverage of the verdict matched the media flurry attracted by President Clinton's visit to New Zealand in 1999. Joe Karam said the trial would go down as the “criminal trial of New Zealand’s history”.