New Zealand Prosecutor Rejects Retrial
Photo: PRESSENS BILD/TT/

New Zealand Prosecutor Rejects Retrial in 1989 Murders of Swedish Couple

The legal proceedings over the double murder of Urban Höglin and Heidi Paakkonen in New Zealand in 1989 have come to an end. Convicted murderer David Tamihere maintains his innocence, but the country’s top prosecutor has rejected a retrial.

In April 1989, the Swedish couple Heidi Paakkonen and Urban Höglin disappeared in New Zealand. A huge search was launched, and the case received a lot of attention.

Tamihere, then 36, was arrested and sentenced to life in prison in 1990. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing. There have also been widespread reports that the police fabricated evidence.

Legal proceedings over a possible retrial have been ongoing for several years.

In March, the Auckland High Court ruled that a new trial should be held, but left the decision to the country’s prosecutor. On Tuesday, prosecutor Claire Paterson announced that there was insufficient new evidence, 1News reports.

Tamihere has been on parole since 2010.

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AuthorTT News AgencyEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for our readers
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