This statement is As put by Assistant Commissioner Investigations Corrie Parnell:
Police acknowledge the verdict delivered against two former officers involved in the miscarriage of justice for Alan Hall.
These former officers have been found not guilty. We acknowledge the finding of the Court in this case.
At the very outset we must acknowledge two families that have being seeking justice since the very beginning: Alan Hall and his family, and the family of Arthur Easton, who was tragically murdered more than 40 years ago.
This decision brings an end to criminal proceedings and Police stand by our decision to put this case before the courts.
In 2022, the Supreme Court acquitted Alan Hall for murder and found a substantial miscarriage of justice had occurred.
The onus was on the wider Justice system to understand how this was able to occur over many decades. It is our view after a thorough investigation decades later that there was an end-to-end Justice system failure, but we also recognised that individuals responsible for key steps in the case played a critical role and that needed to be answered in the courts.
Police accept that we had a part to play in this failure occurring.
The public places great faith and trust in Police and the wider Justice sector to act on their behalf and ensure that criminal procedures are carried out fairly.
While legislation, systems and processes in the Justice sector have advanced in the decades since this case was first prosecuted, we acknowledge the Hall family have been left waiting for answers for a long time.
We must also acknowledge the Easton family, who are still seeking answers as to who murdered Arthur Easton more than 40 years ago.
Police are awaiting the release of the Independent Police Conduct Authority's report into this matter, and we will be in a position to comment further at that time.
