In 1992 Susan Burdett was found dead in her South Auckland home.

The 39-year-old had been sexually assaulted and beaten to death with a baseball bat she kept by her bed for protection. 

Susan's story was awful and tragic but would become much more so when the wrong man was convicted of her murder … In 1992 Susan Burdett was found dead in her South Auckland home.

The 39-year-old had been sexually assaulted and beaten to death with a baseball bat she kept by her bed for protection. 

Susan's story was awful and tragic but would become much more so when the wrong man was convicted of her murder and jailed for more than 20 years.

In this month's episode of Herald podcast A Moment In Crime senior journalist Anna Leask looks into the death of Susan Burdett and the botched police investigation that led to Teina Pora being arrested and charged a year later. 

Pora, a 17-year-old petty criminal, confessed to the murder after hearing about a significant reward offered by police for information that would lead to the killer being identified. 

But there was no other evidence linking Pora to the scene and his confession was jumbled, vague and changed by the minute. 

Two juries went on to convict Pora before an ex-detective got involved and fought for him to be freed. 

It was not until after the Privy Council quashed Pora's convictions that the real killer - serial rapist Malcolm Rewa  - was held to account.

FOR MORE ON THE CASE VISIT NZHERALD.CO.NZ OR CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW TO ACCESS CONTENT:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/how-the-justice-system-failed-teina-pora/W4VPIZR6JDHMU4VHY7PLEBZCEI/Judge:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/judge-teina-pora-innocent-entire-crown-case-rejected/B7LVXQK7FNRUVSKLP2L6AKKIGM/

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/serial-rapist-malcolm-rewa-jailed-for-life-for-1992-murder-of-susan-burdett/TWJNAO25RH77V2M242XXYRS2MA/?c_id=1&objectid=12216145

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/malcolm-rewa-survivors-heartbreaking-letter-i-thought-he-would-kill-me/PCCLD3DA4BFAAWCRTB4DJ7MTUA/?c_id=1&objectid=12206068

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/serial-rapist-malcolm-rewa-guilty-of-murdering-susan-burdett-in-1992/UCRYHDRG3ROT6YWRECKSORC4IM/?c_id=1&objectid=12205665

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/i-hope-to-get-justice-for-my-sister-susan-burdetts-brother-on-teina-pora-decision/HYXO4ZMD7XXL7XM7KPZBIQVONA/

 

 

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Teina Pora was wrongly imprisoned for 20 years for the rape and murder of Susan Burdett, brutally attacked in her Papatoetoe home in March 1992. Investigative journalist Eugene Bingham joins Jesse to us through the case.

On Monday 23 March, 1992, Susan Burdett was raped and beaten to death with a s… Teina Pora was wrongly imprisoned for 20 years for the rape and murder of Susan Burdett, brutally attacked in her Papatoetoe home in March 1992. Investigative journalist Eugene Bingham joins Jesse to us through the case.

On Monday 23 March, 1992, Susan Burdett was raped and beaten to death with a softball bat.

What followed would become one of this country's most prominent miscarriages of justice.

Teina Pora was convicted of Burdett's rape and murder in 1994, found guilty again at a retrial in 2000, but eventually the convictions were quashed by the Privy Council in 2004.

In 2020, prolific rapist Malcolm Rewa was found guilty of the crime.

Investigative Journalist Eugene Bingham spent four years investigating the case and describes how a man spent more than 20-years of his life in prison for a crime he didn't commit.



Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details more