Waihopai aquittals

Three men charged over an attack on the Waihopai spy base near Blenheim in 2008 have been acquitted . Father Peter Murnane, Adrian Leason and Sam Land had been on trial in the Wellington District Court on charges of intentional damage and entering a property with intent to commit a crime. The three admitted sneaking into the Waihopai base and slashing at one of the satellite domes, but said they were acting to save the lives of others, including victims of the Iraq war. The Director of Intelligence and Security studies at Waikato University Dr Ron Smith comments on the case.