Teina Pora's grandson is just a little older than his daughter was when Pora was sent to prison in 1994 for the rape and murder of Susan Burdett two years earlier. Teina Pora with grandson Benson Bennett. Picture / Sarah Ivey

Twice convicted murderer and rapist Teina Pora is said to be 'absolutely ecstatic' at the news the Privy Council will hear his appeal later in the year.

George Stinney was only 14 when a court in South Carolina sentenced him to death in 1944.

Violent and disorderly drunks in New South Wales will face tough new mandatory jail sentences in a package of measures to battle binge drinking.

Australian businessman Marcus Lee says touching down on home soil feels like a dream after spending almost five years fighting fraud charges in Dubai.

If all firearms, as well as owners, were registered, it may have been more difficult for Livingstone to shoot his children.

A woman who was savagely beaten as she walked along her own street in daylight is disgusted her alleged attacker has been released on bail.

The man accused of fatally punching teenager Daniel Christie in Sydney's Kings Cross was yesterday charged with murder.

A blockade at the entrance to Hole in the Rock is being considered as part of a long-running row over money and mana.

Perhaps the most astounding aspect of the sentencing of the former Warriors rugby league player Russell Packer was his barrister's claim.

Government's coffers end up with $12 million from $33 million worth of assets ordered seized by judges.

Offenders who get locked up for Christmas can forget about a special meal from the cops on the big day.

An American and four other men detained in the United Arab Emirates for making a parody video about youth culture will discover today whether they will be freed.

A multimillion-dollar claim brought by the Ministry of Education over leaky schools has been settled.

District Court judges have met calls for increased accountability with their first annual report - and raised publicly limitations imposed by "limited resources".

Editorial: If the IRD is known for unilateral and unexplained actions against its targets, Customs inhabits a peculiar twilight zone at the border.

Scotland Yard looking at laying drugs charges against chef and whether to go after suppliers.

The daughter of an elderly couple slain in a brutal double murder is furious that one of the killers has been shown leniency at a parole hearing.

The demands of a lobby group seeking tougher bail laws should not be adopted, MPs say, but some minor changes to bail rules are needed.

Agency failed to consider key evidence in $1.7 billion South Canterbury Finance investigation.

New Zealanders may have to wait longer for cheaper internet after Chorus yesterday initiated court action to challenge the Commerce Commission's ruling.

Editorial: Justice Minister Judith Collins is right. The judges' long service leave entitlement negotiated with the previous Govt is "generous".

Officials at the golf club where Ewen Macdonald worked to clear up wind-damaged trees suggests he embellished his experiences there to the Parole Board.

He may have been wearing shorts, a green prison-issue T-shirt and black jandals - but Ewen Macdonald was serious about yesterday's bid for freedom.

Ian Young, the manager of corporate services at Grey District Council, says donations to the Pike River Disaster Relief Trust came to $8,065,727.

Some bars' and restaurants' "happy hour" promotions will be outlawed under alcohol reforms which come into force next month.

Long-service leave for District Court judges has increased from 65 days every five years to 100 days, the Herald can reveal.

Carpet manufacturer Godfrey Hirst has complained to the Auditor-General that a $960,000 contract was not put out to tender.

A Bay of Plenty lawyer allegedly acted for a vulnerable teenage client the day after he had sex with her, a tribunal has been told.