On the 40th anniversary of
New Zealand's most baffling
murder mystery,
Arthur Allan Thomas’s ex wife Vivien Harrison has broken her silence on the case that destroyed her
marriage and drove her from the country.
And she’s called for the "mystery woman" she believes fed the baby of murdered couple
Harvey and Jeanette Crewe to account for witness reports that she was seen at their farmhouse after the killings.
Thomas, who was convicted of murder on evidence later found to be fabricated by the police, was finally pardoned in 1979 and awarded $950,000 in compensation after a royal
commission of inquiry ruled he should never have been charged.
After publicly campaigning for her husband's freedom through two court trials – both of which found him guilty – Harrison filed for
divorce while Thomas was still in prison.
They haven’t spoken since and no one else has been charged with the murders. But in an exclusive interview with North & South magazine, she still stands by her man.
"What I did was end my marriage to Arthur. But I did not desert him. I know Arthur did not kill those people and I will declare his innocence until the day I die."
Thomas, who was devastated by her decision, felt betrayed. But she says their relationship was a casualty of the justice system.
"The second trial ended my marriage; what hopes we had were dashed by the verdicts delivered by that jury. Our plans for our future were completely and utterly gone."
Researcher and writer Chris Birt, who wrote a book on the Crewe murders, The Final Chapter, in 2001, tracked Harrison down to Queensland and returned with her to the
Pukekawa farmhouse, south of Auckland, where the murders took place on June 17, 1970.
Initially fingered by police as the woman who fed the Crewe’s baby girl, Rochelle, before the bodies were found five days later, Harrison speaks out against the
police corruption she says has tainted her life in the July issue of North & South .
And the families of two other key witnesses reveal their own stories of harassment and intimidation at the hands of the police.
Should there be a further inquiry into the Crewe murders and should the "mystery woman" – who is known to the police – be asked to account for her whereabouts during those five days before the bodies were found? Have your say below.
Acknowledgements: Plus read more about the Crewe murders in the July issue of North & South Magazine.
Image by Getty Images via @daylife
