Convinced that Hungarian tourist Ferdinand Ambach – accused of killing gay Onehunga man Ronald Brown in December 2007 – was aware of his rights when questioned by police the day after the attack, Justice Stevens will allow a DVD of the interview to be used in evidence in upcoming murder trial. The High Court has carefully studied the DVD of Ambach's almost four-hour police quizzing from the hours after the attack in Brown's home, as his defence lawyer sought to raise doubt around whether Ambach understood his legal rights, translated into Hungarian for him by a translator who had also appeared in court. Justice Stevens today concluded Ambach had understood "the nature and quality of his rights when under questioning" and the possibly crucial evidence can be considered when the case goes to trial. This morning's decision wraps up Ambach's Pre-Trial Application proceedings. A decision will be made next week on the date for his jury trial, which is expected to be in June. Ambach remains in police custody until his trial.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News Staff
First published: Wednesday, 18th February 2009 - 11:16am