United Future
Murray Smith

Smith: UF calls for Commission of Inquiry into Berryman case

Taking the matter up in Parliament today, Mr Smith called on Justice Minister Phil Goff to take whatever steps were necessary to see justice done and the truth revealed.

The Army has been accused of hiding a document that would prove that Keith and Margaret Berryman were not responsible for the death of beekeeper Kenneth Richards in a 1994 bridge collapse on their farm.

"This case is now bordering on being a serious miscarriage of justice through the abuses of process that are alleged to have occurred and we have a prominent and respected lawyer essentially staking his career on this case by publishing the document on the Internet against a court order.

"It is clear that there is massive public discomfit with the ongoing situation that the Berrymans find themselves in and this matter requires a commission of inquiry in order for the facts to be verified, law changes made and appropriate compensation to the Berrymans," Mr Smith said later.

Mr Smith said that United Future will shortly be launching a far-reaching justice policy that would ensure that all relevant evidence was presented in cases such as this.