David Brian Dougherty (29 March 1967 – 20 April 2017) was a New Zealander who was wrongfully convicted in 1993 on charges of abduction and the rape of an 11-year-old girl.[1] In 1997, when new DNA evidence ruled him out of the charge, Dougherty was acquitted after serving over three years in prison.[2][3] He received a public apology in 2001 along with $868,728 in compensation.[4][5] In 2003, the real offender, Nicholas Reekie, was found guilty and convicted of the crime.[6] Dougherty's case was the subject of the 2008 New Zealand telemovie Until Proven Innocent which documents the miscarriage of justice that had Dougherty imprisoned.[7]

In November 2010, Dougherty pleaded guilty to a burglary charge. He admitted going to a Palmerston North property in October that year to collect money he was owed. He smashed open a ranch slider door and stole beer and DVDs before being caught by the home owner. He claimed he did not realise the previous owner had moved.[8] Dougherty was meant to face court on theft and burglary charges in May 2011, but instead was arrested shortly before his case was called and sentencing did not go ahead.[9] He was ordered by the court to undergo a drug and alcohol assessment.[10] On 7 July 2011 Dougherty was sentenced to 300 hours of community work and nine months of supervision.[11]

Dougherty died on 20 April 2017, not long after his 50th birthday, after a long illness.[12][13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Apology and money for Dougherty".
  2. ↑ "Falsely imprisoned: David Dougherty's story". 30 May 2009.
  3. ↑ "Forensic Science".
  4. ↑ Catherine Masters (2001). "David Dougherty – Locked up in a nightmare".
  5. ↑ "10 years of guilt over for rape victim". The New Zealand Herald. 31 May 2003.
  6. ↑ "Apology but no compensation for rape victim". The New Zealand Herald. 18 September 2003.
  7. ↑ "DVD Review: Until Proven Innocent". 30 August 2009.
  8. ↑ "David Dougherty pleads guilty to burglary".
  9. ↑ "Arrest Interrupts Sentencing". The New Zealand Herald. 27 May 2011.
  10. ↑ "Man falsely accused of rape remanded on burglary charges".
  11. ↑ Ellingham, Jimmy (8 July 2011). "'Rollercoaster' Dougherty gets to go home". Manawatu Standard. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  12. ↑ "Man who was wrongly convicted of rape and abduction dies after long illness". Stuff.co.nz. 28 April 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  13. ↑ "David Dougherty, who was wrongly convicted of rape and abduction, dies of cancer at age 50". NZ Herald. 28 April 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2017.


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