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Still in denial

New Zealand Listener

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September 27 - October 3, 2025

No, I do not go along with September's Court of Appeal decision that turned down the latest bid to quash Scott Watson's convictions for the murders of Olivia Hope and Ben Smart.

- Steve Braunias

Still in denial

An interested party described the judgment very well in an email. He wrote, "291 pages of froth and flannel". Mind you, I kind of set him up to say something like that. I emailed him with no content, just six words in the subject line: "What's the fucking point sometimes, right?" I don't know if he shared my anger and disgust as a hothead from way back, I am unable to view things temperately - but he knew where I was coming from. We had both attended the appeal hearing in Wellington last year. We had both seen and heard enough to think Watson had a real chance of finally, finally beating the system.

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