Arthur Allan Thomas (born 2 January 1938) is a New Zealand man who was wrongfully convicted twice of the murders of Harvey and Jeannette Crewe in June 1971. Thomas was raised on his parents' 272 acre farm at Mercer Ferry Road, eight miles away from the Crewe's farm. On 22 June 1970, police received a phone call describing the Crewe's bloodstained house, containing an 18 month old baby but no dead bodies. Mrs Crewe's body was found in the Waikato River two months later with bullet wounds to the head. Mr Crewe's body was also found in the river about a month after that. At his trial, the Crown alleged Thomas made his way to the Crewe farm on a stormy night and shot the couple with his .22 rifle in a fit of jealousy.
53-596: Pukekawa is a town in the Lower Waikato River area of New Zealand's North Island , 66 km south of central Auckland . The area's fertile soils are used to grow a range of vegetables, including onions, potatoes and carrots. The town was in the Franklin District until the district's abolition in 2010. There is the Pukekawa primary school which is located opposite the garage/store. Most of
106-566: A Pakeha rural settlement. By 1920 Pukekawa was described as a "typical township of a Post Office, a store and a few buildings". Pukekawa shared in the Waikato prosperity and later depopulation of the 1950s to 1990s. By 1970 Pukekawa was an affluent rural community and service centre of several hundred people but nationally notorious for the Crewe murders. The community was divided between two feuding camps of Thomas and Crown supporters. To some degree
159-491: A controversial retrial where the jury was housed incommunicado with police in a local hotel. Thomas was again convicted. Pat Booth , the assistant editor of the Auckland Star , attended the retrial and became concerned. As part of the campaign for a pardon, Booth wrote a book, Trial by Ambush . That was followed by another campaigning book, Beyond Reasonable Doubt , by British investigative author David Yallop , which
212-477: A film in 1980 called Beyond Reasonable Doubt . The Crewe murders continue to divide the district into two feuding camps without apparent closure. Pukekawa water supply contractor, Des Thomas, brother of Arthur, continues to investigate for the murders a local man, "farmer X". The release in July 2014 of a police report on the murders cleared suspects the late Len Demler (father of Jeannette) and his second wife after
265-416: A large whare, stood there. The Maori settlers grew on Pukekawa market garden crops, mostly potatoes and maize. Market gardens have been the staple crops on Pukekawa ever since. Pukekawa became famous by the early 1890s with both Māori and Pakeha for its horse racing and betting. Hundreds of Māori and Pakeha attended the Pukekawa races. The Pukekawa racing cup had the prize of twenty pounds which far eclipsed
318-433: A police suspect. The independent review by David PH Jones QC concluded that "It does not appear that there was any real inquiry by the 1970 investigation team into any persons other than Arthur Thomas". In late 2019 Thomas, then aged 81, faced one charge of rape and four of indecent assault against two women. He previously pleaded not guilty and elected trial by jury. His case was called at Manukau District Court, where he
371-608: A surveyor's trig on Pukekawa. Kerei was arrested without resistance in the presence of the Maori King to his distress. King Tawhiao later complained to the New Zealand Government that they had broken the 1880s peace agreement when the Kingites had surrendered all their guns. One account described it as "electioneering tactics". After Tawhiao's death and sales to Pakeha farmers, by the early 1900s Pukekawa became
424-606: A verdict and was discharged on 28 June 2021. On 14 October 2021 Crown Prosecutor Charlie Piho told the Manukau District Court the Crown wished to continue with the prosecution. Judge Mina Wharepouri set a trial date for November 2022. However, in September 2022, a stay of prosecution was ordered in response to Thomas now being considered unfit to stand trial due to deteriorating mental health. This in effect ended
477-554: Is Waipapa Morrinsville Terrane greywacke formed in the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous (160-120 Ma ). The Hamilton Basin originally formed under water so marine Pliocene beds underlie Quaternary deposits that date from about 1.8 million years ago. The oldest deposits are called the Puketoka Formation which contains clays , sands , breccias and ignimbrite sheets from pyroclastic flow reaching
530-696: Is an ambiguous term as it can refer to the entire river catchment) form a large area of low-lying land in the northwest of the North Island of New Zealand . They are the alluvial plains of the Waikato River , the country's longest river with a length of 425 km (264 mi). The plains can be divided roughly into the Middle Waikato Plain (also Middle Waikato Basin Hamilton Basin ), extending in all directions around
583-513: Is far-fetched in the extreme that two women would come along and commit perjury." In summing up, Judge Bergseng told the jury that each charge must be considered separately, with a focus on the evidence specific to each one. But caution was required because the passage of time meant memories of some witnesses may have faded, making it impossible to check some of the witnesses' testimony, and also causing Thomas to lose "the ability to call witnesses who could support his defence". The jury failed to reach
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#1732794591263636-474: Is geological evidence that the Hamilton Basin portion was formed as a rift valley . The normal faulting associated with this may have become inactive before 350,000 years ago, although in lake sediments there is evidence of significant local earthquake activity as recently as 7600 years ago, but epicenters may relate to known current active fault systems to the north east of the plains. The basement
689-559: The Auckland Star Saturday edition, was rejected for publication on the grounds that "it is not the role of the newspapers to attempt to try the courts". Bell then resigned and produced the booklet Bitter Hill , which is the English meaning of Pukekawa, outlining inconsistencies in the prosecution's case and the theory advanced by the retrial committee. It provided the impetus for a national campaign that eventually led to
742-519: The New Zealand Herald said: "that was clearly absurd. It was also an unthinking or calculated insult to Mr Thomas, who spent nine years in prison before being pardoned". Thomas, then age 75, responded by saying the police were engaged in "a blatant cover up". A police review of the original investigation, at a cost of $ 400,000 to New Zealand taxpayers, released in July 2014, cleared all other suspects and implied that Arthur Thomas remained
795-609: The 2013 census , and an increase of 243 people (19.7%) since the 2006 census . There were 504 households, comprising 741 males and 732 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.01 males per female. The median age was 43.6 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 315 people (21.3%) aged under 15 years, 234 (15.9%) aged 15 to 29, 762 (51.6%) aged 30 to 64, and 165 (11.2%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 88.6% European/ Pākehā , 17.1% Māori , 2.4% Pacific peoples , 2.4% Asian , and 2.0% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas
848-661: The 2018 New Zealand census , an increase of 15 people (11.1%) since the 2013 census , and an increase of 39 people (35.1%) since the 2006 census . There were 51 households, comprising 81 males and 69 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.17 males per female. The median age was 44.4 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 33 people (22.0%) aged under 15 years, 18 (12.0%) aged 15 to 29, 75 (50.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 24 (16.0%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 94.0% European/ Pākehā , 18.0% Māori , 2.0% Pacific peoples , and 4.0% Asian ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. Although some people chose not to answer
901-492: The andesitic stratovolcanoes of the Tongariro and Taranaki regions, as well as from Mayor Island/Tuhua . The airfall tephra layers of the last 50,000 years vary from between 0.5 to 1.5 m (1 ft 8 in to 4 ft 11 in) thick. 37°40′11.79″S 175°31′5.93″E / 37.6699417°S 175.5183139°E / -37.6699417; 175.5183139 Arthur Allan Thomas Four months later,
954-516: The evidence , which led to an outcry among elements in the farming community and among relatives of Thomas and his wife, Vivien Thomas. That led to the formation of the Arthur Thomas Retrial Committee. The report by a retired judge, Sir George MacGregor, which rejected the appeal for a retrial, was also riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies. However, a report on that by journalist Terry Bell, then deputy editor of
1007-455: The kumara (sweet potato). In the 1920s James Cowan described Pukekawa as a "beautiful round green hill on the west side of Waikato". From the beginning of the Waikato military campaigns, Ngati Maniapoto made Pukekawa their entrenched headquarters. From Pukekawa they launched raids upon the neighbouring British settlements. From a raid from Pukekawa the British army supply depot Cameron town
1060-427: The 2014 police review by David PH Jones QC, released on 30 July 2014, concluded "In my view, there was sufficient evidence for a prosecution to have been taken against Bruce Hutton based on the available material". In 2009 Arthur Allan Thomas travelled to Christchurch to support David Bain , who also had criminal convictions against him overturned. In 2010 he collaborated with investigative journalist Ian Wishart on
1113-474: The Crown and Marie Dyhrberg, QC, for the defence. Judge Jon Bergseng presided. Thomas was now aged 83. One complainant alleged she was raped and indecently assaulted; the other alleged she was indecently assaulted three times. Both witnesses said there were others present when some of the alleged offending took place. A third witness claimed Thomas had encouraged him to participate in the alleged acts. Full trial details were heavily suppressed. The Defence claimed
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#17327945912631166-625: The Waikato Plains from around 19,000 years ago. So only in recent times,again, has it flowed northwest to empty into the Tasman Sea near Port Waikato . This means the recent sedimentary deposits near the river are mainly altered volcanics washed down from the North Island Volcanic Plateau and broken down volcanic soils but there are layers of tephra /breccia from the many significant rhyolitic eruptions to
1219-543: The basin. The younger Waerenga Gravels are composed of weathered greywacke debris presumably deposited in fans extending from the surrounding ranges. Even younger, and so closer to the surface usually, is the Karapiro Formation with rhyolitic sands and gravels which can be weathered to clay. The Waikato River over, even the last 1800 years, has changed course many times in the basin. It has changed course even more spectacularly on at least four occasions in
1272-574: The book Arthur Allan Thomas , where for the first time he gave his perspective on his life, from before the murders to the present. The two detectives who planted the shell that helped convict Thomas are now dead. Johnston died in 1978. Bruce Hutton, 83, died in Middlemore Hospital in April 2013. At Hutton's funeral, Deputy Commissioner Mike Bush praised Mr Hutton and said he was known for having "integrity beyond reproach". An editorial in
1325-476: The cartridge in the garden to incriminate Thomas. Following revelations that crucial evidence against him had been faked by the police, in 1979 Thomas was granted a Royal Pardon . In 1980, the Government ordered a Royal Commission of Inquiry into his convictions and he was subsequently awarded NZ$ 950,000 in compensation for his 9 years in prison and loss of earnings. There were numerous inconsistencies in
1378-441: The census's question about religious affiliation, 66.0% had no religion, 26.0% were Christian and 2.0% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 21 (17.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 24 (20.5%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $ 35,700, compared with $ 31,800 nationally. 27 people (23.1%) earned over $ 70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15
1431-440: The charges were fabricated and motivated by money. Thomas's former solicitor, Chris Reid, told the court he organised a legal meeting on behalf of Thomas with the complainants and their husbands. Among those present were Reid's cousin, Thomas's then-lawyer Peter Williams, and former prime minister David Lange. Reid testified that the complainants made demands for Thomas to pay them money: "If he didn't, they were going to complain to
1484-657: The city of Hamilton , and the Lower Waikato Plain , nearer the river's mouth. The two are broken by the rough, low-lying hills of the Hakarimata Range , between Ngāruawāhia and Huntly , and the Taupiri Range . The region is heavily populated by New Zealand standards, with many living in Hamilton towards the center of the plains. The plains are an area of once swampy land, much of which
1537-463: The complainants to go to the police. Three other witnesses testified for the Defence, including Thomas's second wife. Thomas himself did not testify. In her closing address, Dyhrberg called the man's testimony "the stuff of fantasy"; he himself could not rely upon his own memory. She said the two women had not told the truth, and "it's gotten out of control". In his closing address, Perkins said, "It
1590-441: The condition of the case was inconsistent with having lain in the garden, exposed to weather and dirt for more than four months. The commission report said: "Mr Hutton and Mr [Len] Johnston planted the shell case... and they did so to manufacture evidence that Mr Thomas' rifle had been used for the killings." The Solicitor-General recommended against prosecuting the officers because of insufficient evidence. An independent review of
1643-485: The court that she had been "intimate" with Thorn. The murders of Harvey and Jeannette Crewe in their living room on their farm on about 17 June 1970 thrust Pukekawa into the national headlines again. Their bodies were thrown into the Waikato river and found separately many weeks later. A woman never officially identified was observed to be in the Crewe house before the Crewes were reported missing. The Crewe baby Rochelle and
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1696-600: The farm animals were fed by an unknown person. Local farmer Arthur Allan Thomas was twice convicted in the Auckland Supreme Court and jailed for the murders. His motives were attributed by the Crown to a passion for Jeannette Crewe. He was found to have been wrongly convicted and was pardoned by the Governor-General on 17 December 1979. He was awarded $ 1 million compensation. The story was made into
1749-439: The issue split on class and economic divisions. The film, Beyond Reasonable Doubt , was filmed in Pukekawa with both camps participating in its production. In the twenty-first century, Pukekawa has again rebirthed as a centre for life style housing. Houses of several hundred thousand and million dollar values are being advertised and sold. An 1850s Auckland colonial villa has been shifted and sold in Pukekawa. Land agents advertise
1802-654: The last 100,000 years, flowing northeast from the region of the current Lake Karapiro , and exiting near Thames in the Hauraki Gulf leaving drainage of the basin to the Waipa River which has not always been a tributary to the Waikato River. Between 65,000 years to at most 25,000 years ago it drained the Waikato Plains but then drained through the Hauraki Plains for 6,000 years returning to drain
1855-403: The murders, Norma Demler. The report implied Arthur Thomas remains a suspect to the police. The police report also said the cartridge case that incriminated Arthur Thomas may have been "fabricated evidence". The murder house is still occupied. At the local Tuakau cemetery the graves of Arthur Thomas' parents are present. Twenty seven metres away lie the neglected graves of the Crewes. The names of
1908-472: The neighbouring Pakeha racing cups. From Pukekawa King Tawhiao and his Court made every year regular regal tours through the North Island. King Tawhiao set up in Pukekawa an alternate Māori Government which was not recognised by the Crown nor the New Zealand Government. In 1890 a detachment of armed soldiers raided Pukekawa and arrested and incarcerated Tawhiao's secretary, Kerei, for the destruction of
1961-457: The night of 24 August 1920 a farmer, Sydney Eyre, was shot in his bedroom in the presence of his wife on his Pukekawa farm. Police found hoof marks and cartridges that led to a former employee on the Eyre farm, Samuel Thorn. Thorn was that year convicted in the Auckland Supreme Court and hanged for murder. Thorn died protesting his innocence. The trial was a national sensation. Eyre's wife confessed in
2014-472: The police about sexual abuse of one sort or another." One complainant said that Thomas' 2019 petition for an apology "was the straw that broke the camel's back" and why she finally went to the police over the alleged sex offending. Reid said Williams told the complainants the meeting had to take place according to law, the threat could have constituted extortion, and recommended the complainants get independent legal advice. According to Reid, Lange also advised
2067-505: The police claimed they found a cartridge in the Crewe's garden which fitted the calibre of Thomas rifle and presented it as evidence at his trial that he was the murderer. Years later, independent counsel, David Jones, QC, submitted a 28-page report in which he describes the brass 22 cartridge case and said it never held a bullet that killed either of the couple. The Royal commission subsequently concluded that Detective Inspector Bruce Hutton and Detective Len Johnston were responsible for planting
2120-552: The services, supermarkets, banks, chemist and shops are located at Tuakau some 8 kilometres away and a further 10 km there is Pukekohe which is a thriving New Zealand rural town. The Onewhero Golf Club is listed by newzealand.com as the sole recreational activity in Pukekawa. The former State Highway 22 runs through Pukekawa. An ancient Maori pā (fortress) lies on the summit of Pukekawa hill. Otherwise Pukekawa shows no signs of pre-European contact Maori settlement. Its name pukekawa (bitter hill) tells why. The hill could not grow
2173-525: The south where recent river flooding has not been disruptive. Layers of the fifteen layer Kauroa Ash Formation are found within both the Puketoka and Karapiro Formation depending upon where you are in the basin. The ash beds can be many meters thick, although thin out north of Hamilton, and include the eight layer 3 to 5 m (9.8 to 16.4 ft) thick Hamilton Ash Formation deposited between 350,000 and 100,000 years ago. There are also tephras derived from
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2226-413: The still alive Arthur Thomas and Rochelle Crewe are both listed on the grave sites. In the 1980s Pukekawa was listed as the district that staged on a farm three rock and pop Sweetwaters Music Festivals . Pukekawa settlement is in an SA1 statistical area which covers 7.70 km (2.97 sq mi). The SA1 area is part of the larger Pukekawa statistical area. The SA1 area had a population of 150 at
2279-657: The towns of Cambridge and Matamata . A considerable amount of the land is peaty , and significant sections especially in the north east are still undrained swamp . Dozens of shallow riverine lakes lie at the central and southern end of the lower plain, notably Lake Waikare . This part of the Wailkato watershed is currently managed as the Middle Waikato Management Zone and the Lower Waikato Management Zone. There
2332-666: The views to the Waikato river. Farms are being advertised, sold and rented out to urban New Zealanders and foreigners to enjoy the kiwi rural life. Backpacker hostels are listed. The farm of Arthur Thomas is still owned and farmed by the Thomas family. At its front gate there used to stand a cross that listed "Justice" , "free Thomas " supporters and a helpful New Zealand policeman. The cross has been moved into nearby bush and its legend obliterated. Pukekawa farming has shifted back to market gardening. Pukekawa has gone full circle from Maori horticulture to Pakeha dairying back to horticulture. On
2385-452: Was $ 40,600, compared with $ 31,800 nationally. 288 people (24.8%) earned over $ 70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 696 (59.9%) people were employed full-time, 195 (16.8%) were part-time, and 36 (3.1%) were unemployed. Pukekawa School is a co-educational state primary school, with a roll of 92 as of August 2024. Waikato Plains The Waikato Plains (the alternative name Waikato Basin
2438-467: Was 15.0, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 63.0% had no religion, 26.0% were Christian , 0.6% had Māori religious beliefs , 0.4% were Hindu , 0.2% were Muslim , 0.6% were Buddhist and 1.2% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 171 (14.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 213 (18.3%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income
2491-452: Was drained by the early settlers, such as the Morrin brothers in the late 18th century and is now intensively farmed. Dairy cattle, sheep , grain and maize are all farmed here, but it is dairy farming that is the staple of the local economy. The lower plain is also known for vineyards , and the middle plain has some of the southern hemisphere's top thoroughbred stables, notably around
2544-459: Was established, headed by retired New South Wales Justice Robert Taylor. It declared Thomas to have been wrongfully charged and convicted and found that among other improprieties, police had planted a .22 rifle cartridge case in the garden of the house in which the murders were committed. The case was found four months and ten days after the area had already been subjected to one of the most intensive police searches ever undertaken. The cartridge case
2597-429: Was excused from attending; Judge Charles Blackie lifted suppression orders that previously prevented the media from reporting anything about the case. On 15 December 2020 at Papakura District Court, Thomas's lawyers asked that the charges be dismissed. Judge John Bergseng suppressed argument details of the hearing out of fair trial interests. The trial opened 14 June 2021 at Manukau District Court, with Aaron Perkins for
2650-539: Was raided and burnt to the ground in 1863. A British detachment sent to attack the about one hundred men Maori raiding war party was scattered by gun fire and through the night the soldiers were hunted down in the bush. In a peace agreement with the New Zealand Government in the 1880s, Pukekawa was returned to Ngati Maniapoto. In 1888, the Maori|King, Tawhiao]], moved there with his followers. By 1892 there were 80–90 Maori houses (whare) on Pukekawa. King Tawhiao's house,
2703-401: Was said to have come from a rifle belonging to Thomas. However, the police tested only 64 rifles in an area where this weapon was common and found that two, including the one belonging to Thomas – could have fired the cartridge case found in the garden. That was the link to the deaths of the Crewes although it was later admitted that the case was "clean" and uncorroded when it was found. As such,
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#17327945912632756-427: Was subsequently made into a film of the same name . Thomas received a pardon, and a Royal Commission report explicitly stated that detectives had used ammunition and a rifle taken from his farm to fabricate false evidence against him. A 2014 police review of the case acknowledged police misconduct was probably the explanation for the key evidence against Thomas: a spent cartridge case. A Royal Commission of Inquiry
2809-415: Was that 66 (56.4%) people were employed full-time, 21 (17.9%) were part-time, and 3 (2.6%) were unemployed. Pukekawa statistical area covers 140.89 km (54.40 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 1,790 as of June 2024, with a population density of 13 people per km. Pukekawa statistical area had a population of 1,476 at the 2018 New Zealand census , an increase of 246 people (20.0%) since
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