LawFuel – Legal Jobs & Legal News Daily – David Bain’s legal team have temporarily ceased working on their client’s forthcoming multiple murder trial pending the provision of satisfactory resources for their defense of Bain.
The retrial is scheduled for retrial in May 2008, following the Privy Council’s quashing of the previous convictions in May 2007, at an as yet undecided venue and is likely to last up to three months.
It is understood by LawFuel.com that the lawyers, lead by Michael Reed QC, have temporarily withdrawn their services pending proper resources being made available to mount a proper defence.
Mr Reed is working on the case along with Helen Cull QC, Paul Morton and long-time Bain supporter Joe Karam.
LawFuel understand that the prosecution have 25 dedicated detectives working on the case, along with usual police resources in Dunedin. Additionally, there are three separate legal teams working, including Auckland’s senior prosecutor Kieran Raftery from Meredith Connell, Dunedin’s crown prosecutor Robin Bates and deputy Solicitor General Cameron Mander.
The case is massively bigger than the original trial twelve year’s ago, with 100,000 pages of evidence, an additional 50 Crown witnesses. It is understood that the defence will be calling 60 to 80 witnesses compared to a small handful in the original trial.
Reliable sources have told LawFuel that around 15 separate applications for legal aid have been made, consuming considerable preparation time, which is unremunerated.
Total trial costs have been reported as being as high as $15 million.
