Davina Murray lost her legal career after smuggling an iPhone, cigarettes and a lighter to Liam Reid in Mt Eden prison in 2011. Tomorrow they become husband and wife.
Davina Murray lost her legal career after smuggling an iPhone, cigarettes and a lighter to Liam Reid in Mt Eden prison in 2011. Tomorrow they become husband and wife.
A disgraced former lawyer is set to marry an "evil and dangerous predator" inside prison tomorrow.
Davina Murray lost her legal career after smuggling an iPhone, cigarettes and a lighter to her client Liam Reid in 2011 while he was in Mt Eden prison.
Reid was serving a 23-year sentence for raping and killing deaf woman Emma Agnew in Christchurch in 2007, as well as the rape, attempted murder and robbery of a 21-year-old student in Dunedin nine days later.
A prison source said the couple would be married in Auckland Prison at Paremoremo tomorrow at 10am.
Tom Sherlock, deputy prison director, confirmed a wedding was scheduled to take place.
He said a prisoner is allowed to marry their partner with the permission of the prison director, who considers whether the ceremony poses a threat to the safety, security or good order of the prison.
"Although a rare occurrence, weddings or civil union ceremonies are not restricted in prisons and each application is considered on a case by case basis.
"The appropriate security measures will be in place tomorrow. There is no cost to the prison."
Davina Murray lost her legal career after smuggling an iPhone, cigarettes and a lighter to her client Liam Reid in 2011 while he was in Mt Eden prison. Photo / Steven McNicholl
Liam Reid during his court appearence for the murder of Emma Agnew in 2008. Photo / File
Permission for the marriage was granted despite Murray being convicted of smuggling contraband to her client.
Reid was described as an "evil and dangerous predator" by Justice Lester Chisholm, who also imposed preventative detention when sentencing Reid - a measure reserved for the worst criminals.
However, Murray, once a candidate for the Maori Party, was convinced of Reid's innocence and has acted on his behalf in a number of appeals.
She denied smuggling the contraband, claiming it was planted by prison guards but was eventually convicted and sentenced to 50 hours' community work in 2013.
As a result, Davina was struck off as "not a fit and proper person to operate as a legal practitioner".
Text messages produced as evidence in the 2013 trial showed the relationship between Murray and Reid was more than strictly professional.
"... Need to smuggle in 2 witnesses into jail as my staff to witness my wedding. When he gets out we will do the big la-la," she wrote to a friend in Australia.
Murray discussed wedding vows with the friend and said the secret marriage could jeopardise Reid's appeal. "My heart says: 'I should just do it' but my head says: 'Wait'.''
She also told a friend she had kissed Reid in a way she had never kissed anyone before.
"I hate that I'm in love with him ... if the courts say no, I wouldn't care but I'm scared to lose him ... He makes me laugh, he makes me think, he makes me cry, he makes me feel beautiful, he makes me sing.''
