20 Mar 2016

The Confessions of Teina Pora

From Sunday Morning, 10:07 am on 20 March 2016
Tim McKinnel

Tim McKinnel Photo: supplied

Teina Pora, then 17, confessed to a crime he didn't commit and was wrongly convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the rape and murder of Susan Burdett.

In July 2015 Teina was photographed by Nigel Swinn for the No Free Man exhibition.

In July 2015 Teina was photographed by Nigel Swinn for the No Free Man exhibition. Photo: Nigel Swinn

Tim McKinnel is a private investigator and a former policeman who fought to clear Teina Pora's name.

After 21 years inside, Teina Pora's convictions were quashed and he was released.

Author Michael Bennett has written the book n Dark Places: The confessions of Teina Pora and an ex-cop's fight for justice, which is described as: "the story not just of Tim’s quest, but also of how an innocent man who was left rotting in a prison cell for two decades found the inner strength to rise above the dark places to which he had been condemned".

Tim McKinnel and Michael Bennett join Wallace Chapman to discuss the case and its implications.

In Dark Places: The confessions of Teina Pora and an ex-cop's fight for justice by Michael Bennett is published by Paul Little Books