Beyond Reasonable Doubt ? - An Inquiry Into the NZ Thomas Case by David A. Yallop

Paperback in excellent condition. Numerous B & W photographs. Published by Penguin (1980). 363pp inc. index. We will combine multiple purchases.

On 17 June, 1970, in the small farming district of Pukekawa, south of Auckland, New Zealand, Harvey and Jeannette Crewe were shot and killed in the lounge of their home. Some time later Arthur AlIan Thomas was charged with their murder and found guilty. The echoes of that crime, and that trial, still reverberate around the whole of New Zealand. Obviously, it was not a clear-cut case. Most of the evidence associating Thomas with the crime was circumstantial; and, as the years passed, so did an uneasiness grow in the minds of many people who were in no way involved with the murder and who, indeed, had never heard of Pukekawa before the tragedy. In both the first and second trial, the judges examined the meaning of the words "beyond reasonable doubt". Each jury found him guilty and Thomas remained in prison. When David Yallop visited New Zealand, he was fascinated by the atmosphere surrounding the Thomas case. He had already written two books which studied the role of prosecution and justice: To Encourage the Others, dealing with the Craig-Bentley murder case, and The Day The Laughter Stopped, the story of the Fatty Arbuckle affair. He began to look deeply into the circumstances surrounding the Crewe murders and the trial of Arthur Thomas, analysing the evidence as presented, interviewing many of the people involved. The result is a book that not only gives a fresh picture of the case, but raises many questions on the way guilt is proven under New Zealand law.