24 Jun 2016

Pora thought he'd receive more compensation

2:21 pm on 24 June 2016

Teina Pora says he thought he would be given more compensation than the amount offered to him by the government after he was wrongfully imprisoned for 21 years.

Teina Pora.

Teina Pora Photo: TVNZ / One News

The Crown will pay Mr Pora $2.5 million, while he challenges an aspect of the payout related to inflation.

In a letter to the New Zealand Herald he said he was not complaining, but the money seemed a lot less than what he should have got.

Mr Pora said he was not treated fairly by police and, while he forgave them, he wished they would apologise, and acknowledge his innocence.

If they did that and started to look for justice for Susan Burdett, the woman he was wrongly convicted of killing, he would be happy.

He said he hoped police would stop trying to find evidence against him. Mr Pora also said he felt the people in charge could not let him go or admit they were wrong.

In a separate interview with Stuff.co.nz, Mr Pora said he wanted police to prosecute the serial rapist Malcolm Rewa, who was convicted of raping Ms Burdett, for her murder.

He wanted Rewa, who he says is a born again Christian, to confess, saying if he really had found God then he hoped he would do the right thing.

"If he says he is a Christian then I hope he looks into his heart and does the right thing."

He said that would bring closure to him and to the Burdett family.

He wanted to use his compensation money to travel, look after his daughter and granddaughter and to help a cancer charity, Mr Pora said.

His mother died from cancer when he was a child.

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