CHRIS HILLOCK / STUFF
Arthur Allan Thomas, pictured, was released from prison after David Yallop wrote a letter to the then Prime Minister Rob Muldoon.
David Yallop, a British author who contributed to the escape from Arthur Allan Thomas prison, has passed away.
Yallop died in London at the age of 81, according to a statement released by the family.
His book, Beyond Reasonable Doubt, added to the work of New Zealanders who work to free Thomas.
Yallop's book Beyond a Reasonable Doubt was later turned into a film.
He casts doubt on the evidence used to condemn Thomas for the murder of Harvey and Jeanette Crewe in their Pukekawa house in 1970.
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The police appeared to have planted crucial instructions on site to secure a conviction from Thomas.
The book was later made in a movie of the same name.
Eventually a royal pardon was granted and Thomas walked freely.
Yallop suffered from Alzheimer's disease in recent years, according to the family statement.
He wrote a number of international bestsellers about miscarriages of justice or unresolved crimes, ranging from the mysterious death of Pope John Paul I, after only 33 days in office, to the Thomas case, which was the most celebrated and still unsolved New Zealand offense. .
In 1970 Harvey and Jeanette Crewe were shot and killed in their home in Pukekawa and Arthur Thomas was subsequently convicted of their murders.
Thomas won a new trial, but it still issued a guilty verdict.
A public campaign for Thomas & # 39; release was stimulated by two books – one by Auckland-journalist Pat Booth, and the other Yallop & # 39; s Beyond Reasonable Doubt.
Yallop became convinced of the innocence of Thomas after 12 months of investigating the crime and sentencing, and wrote an open letter to former Prime Minister Rob Muldoon who demanded the release of Thomas.
In 1978, Thomas received a royal pardon after nine years behind the bars and received compensation of $ 1 million.
Yallop died in London at the age of 81 and is survived by his wife, Anna, a New Zealander and four children.
– Stuff
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