No plea bargain in David Bain case, defence says

Michael Reed during the Bain retrial. Photo / Pool

David Bain did not ask for and was not offered a plea bargain during his re-trial, his lawyer Michael Reed QC, says.

"There was no offer by the defence for any plea bargain, none whatsoever," Mr Reed told Radio New Zealand this morning.

"I would need instructions to do that. My instructions from David Bain and Joe Karam throughout have been emphatically that he did not kill anyone and any liability was denied completely.

"So I agree with the Crown - they made no offer, we made no offer".

However, yesterday Bain supporter Joe Karam told a press conference that Bain was offered "concessions" by the Crown during his retrial at the Christchurch High Court.

"The Crown was conceding a lot, the Crown was offering concessions," Mr Karam said.

Crown Law denied any plea bargain was offered to Bain.

Crown Law spokeswoman Jan Fulstow said: "As I understand, it came from the other side".

Mr Karam was asked by media if the "concession" offer was a plea bargain.

"I'm saying Mr Reed mentioned to me that Mr Raftery had informally talked about the possibility of seeking concessions from the Crown and Mr Reed took the discussions no further because David Bain has never and will never admit to anything because all he did was come home and find his mother dead," he said.

Mr Karam said that Mr Bain told his lawyers: "Tell Mr Raftery [Crown prosecutor Kieran Raftery] to get back on his horse and get on with his waffley evidence".

Mr Karam would not be drawn on questions about the plea bargain and directed the media to Bain's lawyer Mr Reed.

Yesterday, nzherald.co.nz contacted Mr Reed for comment but he declined to do so.

David Bain was acquitted of murdering his parents, two sisters and brother at the High Court in Christchurch, last Friday.