Police wined and dined Thomas jury, says QC

Arthur Thomas says an investigator from overseas should investigate the killings. Photo / Christine Cornege

A group calling for a judicial inquiry into the wrongful convictions of Arthur Allan Thomas has described the atmosphere at the hotel where Crewe murder-case jurors were staying as a "Bacchanalian carnival".

Peter Williams, QC, represented the pardoned Mr Thomas at the 1980 royal commission of inquiry into the case and says a judge from overseas, preferably Britain, should be brought to New Zealand to review the handling of both murder trials.

This week, Mr Williams met Gerald Ryan, who with his late brother Kevin acted for Mr Thomas at his second trial; Pat Vesey, founding chairman of the Thomas Retrial Committee; and author Chris Birt.

The call for a judicial inquiry comes after Rochelle Crewe, the only child of victims Jeannette and Harvey Crewe, asked police to reinvestigate the murders of her parents.

Mr Williams said the second jury drank alcohol with the police, attended a boxing match and went to cabarets on Friday nights.

The QC said the Justice Department picked up the liquor bill and it is the only time he has heard of a jury being supplied with alcohol.

Mr Williams said the conduct of the judges in both trials, the police, the Crown's forensic science service and both juries should be looked at.

He said the person who killed the Crewes might never be known, but there was still an opportunity to learn from how the judiciary handled the case so the same mistakes were never made again.