The latest “North and South” magazine interview with convicted double murderer Scott Watson, published after a year of litigation, saw Watson make some points about the lawyers involved.
So what did he have to say?
On his defence team, Bruce Davidson, now a District Court judge, and Wellington criminal lawyer Mike Antunovic: “Bruce is a brilliant lawyer. And he said everything at my trial thaat needed to be said. But he was dealing against
Mike Antunovic
this (Paul) Davison QC character and (Kieran) Raftery and (Nicola) Crutchley, who was deputy solicitor general. After hearing what they said in court, I reckoned they were three of New Zeland’s biggest bullshit artists.”
The article railed against the judicial system and the Crown allegedly “garbarging” their way through the case with facts that Watson disputes.
He was nevertheless convinced that he would win, as were his lawyers.
But why did Watson not speak out at the time. Why now?
His lawyers instructed him not to. “They thought I didn’t need to, obviusly. I wanted to get up there and say my piece. But if I had taken the stand, I wprobably would have been convicted as well.
“Because I think (Paul) Davison would have done me. If I’d have said the word ‘fuck’ it would’ve been drawn out 87 times. I wouldn’t have been able to out-talk Davison, cos he would’ve been talking me into some little corner and I would’ve said ‘Oh, piss off mate, your’ make it up as you go along.’
“I’m not the most eloquent speaking person. At some stage I would’ve, not flipped out or anything, but just said. ‘Whatever, mate’. And you come across as a bad person.”
Watson’s current lawyer, Kerry Cook, has been involved with the case for five years, along with Pip Hall QC. The issues that ‘alarmed’ him over the case persist, he says in the article.
Watson didn’t start talking until Kerry Cook arrived on the scene.
“Until Kerry came along, none of my lawyers have wanted me to do it. And it’s basically taken since my association with Kerry to actually get it to happen. It’s taken years. It’s just an uphill battle.”
“The system’s sayinig there’s no doubt about his guilt, and I fundamentally disagree with that because of the many concerns that hve bene outlined. I just think that all of those issues we’ve raised lead a reasonable person to believe the conviction is unsafe and that it really needs to be quashed and then further examined.”
The convictions, according to Cook, are an example of the system being reluctant to consider a miscarriage of justice that may have occurred.
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