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Mark Lundy's convictions for murder of wife, daughter upheld
Mark Lundy's convictions for murder of wife, daughter upheld
The Court of Appeal has upheld Mark Lundy's convictions for the murders of his wife Christine and daughter Amber.
Mark Lundy Photo: RNZ / Sharon Lundy
Lundy had twice been found guilty of murdering his wife and daughter and went to the Court of Appeal in October last year in an effort to have his 2015 convictions overturned.
The bodies of Christine Lundy, 38, and Amber, 7, were found by Mrs Lundy's brother in their Palmerston North home on 30 August 2000. Both had been bludgeoned to death.
Lundy was first convicted in 2002 but the convictions were set aside on appeal to the Privy Council.
He was tried again in 2015 and it was those convictions that were under appeal.
His lawyers argued in the appeal that there were significant omissions from the judge's summing up and that the Crown's case had changed compared with his first trial.
But the Appeal Court upheld Mr Lundy's convictions, rejecting all but one of the grounds for his appeal.
In its decision, the court said a number of specific issues were raised for Lundy but, having considered them, the court determined that none, on their own or collectively, undermined the strength of the Crown case.
Timeline of the Lundy case
• August 2000: The bodies of Christine and Amber Lundy are found in their Palmerston North home. They have been bludgeoned to death.
• February 2001: Mark Lundy arrested and charged with their murders.
• March 2002: Mark Lundy convicted of the murders and sentenced to life in prison with a 17-year non-parole period, increased to 20 years on appeal.
• October 2013: Privy Council overturns Mark Lundy's conviction, saying it was based on unsafe evidence, and he is released on bail pending a retrial.
• February 2015: Mark Lundy's retrial starts in the High Court at Wellington.
• April 2015: Mark Lundy found guilty of murdering his wife and child. He returns to prison to continue serving his life sentence, with a 20-year minimum non-parole period.
• October 2017: Mark Lundy's lawyers go to the Court of Appeal to challenge the convictions.
• October 2018: Court of Appeal dismisses Mark Lundy's appeal.
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