Last updated 16:24, May 2 2018
SUPPLIED
The picture of George Moulden which was picked out by witnesses as the culprit in a recent assault.
The picture of George Moulden which was picked out by witnesses as the culprit in a recent assault.
A private investigator who helped free Teina Pora has "serious concerns" over the the arrest and imprisonment of south Auckland man George Moulden for a crime he may not have committed.
Tim McKinnel believes 44-year-old Moulden, who has once before suffered a miscarriage of justice, may be at risk of doing so again.
Moulden was arrested in March for assault on a lawyer and his wife at their south Auckland home in February.
Private investigator Tim McKinnel says he has serious concerns over the arrest of George Moulden.
Following his arrest, he was remanded in custody in Mt Eden Corrections Facility where he is currently awaiting trial.
Moulden was arrested after he was picked from a photo board of potential suspects by the victims of the assault and two other witnesses.
Inside the Mt Eden Corrections facility where Moulden is currently being housed (file photo).
However the evidence used to secure the arrest for the February assault has failed Moulden in the past.
In 2017, the Court of Appeal ruled Moulden had suffered a miscarriage of justice after being found guilty in the Manukau District Court in 2014 for an aggravated burglary and aggravated assault.
Moulden had been picked out as the culprit from a photo board, which displayed his face alongside other suspects.
The Court of Appeal noted in its decision that the photo police used of Moulden was highlighted, resulting in him standing out more than the other potential suspects.
The Court also ruled the inconsistency of witness descriptions compared to what Moulden looked like meant it was unlikely he was the offender.
He was released after serving a year in prison, and in late 2017 started his bid for compensation.
That bid was stalled in March when he was called into the Manurewa police station where he was arrested for the alleged assault from the month before.
The photo police used in the most recent photo board was more than two years old and was noticeably different from how Moulden currently appears.
"I have had a look at the evidence and we have got some very serious concerns about the process which has been followed," McKinnel said.
"On the face of it, it doesn't appear any lessons have been learnt from George's last wrongful conviction."
McKinnel, who is working with Moulden's defence, said it was also worrying Moulden had been arrested at the same time he trying to gain compensation.
It was also unclear why Moulden's picture was used for the more recent photo board, McKinnel said.
"I am concerned and we need to look very closely at the order of events leading to these new charges.
"George's first wrongful conviction deeply affected him. George is pyschologically vulnerable in a number of ways and it was very difficult for him to go through that.
"For him to be in prison again is very devastating to him."
Moulden's mother, Eileen Moulden, said she too was very concerned about what the police were alleging her son had done.
She believed it was no coincidence Moulden had been arrested at the same time he was filing for compensation.
"I believe he is innocent. I know he can be a rat bag, but these charges, well, I know he did not do it. I would not be standing beside him otherwise."
Moulden's case will next appear in the High Court in Auckland on Friday.