SPCA, Crown in free lawyers row

SPCA executive director Bob Kerridge. Photo / Brett Phibbs

The SPCA is criticising Crown solicitors for taking over an animal cruelty case months after it established a panel of lawyers happy to work for free.

The SPCA says having the case prosecuted by Crown solicitors Meredith Connell is an unnecessary expense for taxpayers.

In January last year the Herald revealed two men had allegedly shot 33 dogs dead on a Wellsford property. Russell Mendoza and Tony Campbell face animal cruelty and firearms charges.

In 2009 the Auckland SPCA established a panel of about 20 top prosecutors who were willing to take on animal welfare cases free of charge.

One of those, John Haigh QC, was assigned the Wellsford case, but had to hand the file on because the trial date clashed. The file is now with Meredith Connell.

SPCA executive director Bob Kerridge said the situation was not ideal.

He believed the case should have been handed to another lawyer on the panel rather than being handled by Meredith Connell at the expense of the taxpayer.

"Why spend money when panel members are happy and willing to do it for free?"

Crown solicitor Simon Moore, SC, chairman of partners at Meredith Connell, said any case committed to trial had to pass over his desk by law.

He had assigned the case to a senior prosecutor after hearing Mr Haigh could not continue, but said he would have been happy to hand it to one of the panel - as long as they were authorised by the Solicitor General. He said the SPCA never asked him to do so.

"If the SPCA had said to me 'Simon, we have got so-and-so who is prepared to do this trial pro bono - then I most certainly would have considered it. But no one asked me."

Mr Moore was frustrated that an issue was being made of it.

"I have worked closely with the SPCA for a long time. And as far as I am concerned the relationship between my office and the SPCA is an extremely good one."

Mr Kerridge was still concerned that taxpayers were footing the bill.